POPULATION-STRUCTURE AND TRANSFER SUCCESS OF NOCTUIDONEMA-GUYANENSE (NEMATODA, APHELENCHOIDIDAE) ON MOTHS OF SPODOPTERA-FRUGIPERDA (LEPIDOPTERA, NOCTUIDAE)

Age distribution, population dispersion, and transfer success of Noctu idonema guyanense Remillet and Silvain on adults of Spodoptera frugipe rda (J. E. Smith) were studied in the laboratory. The nematode populat ion was composed of 77% juveniles (J), 68% of which were J3-J4s. Among adult nematodes, 60% were females. The dispersion of N. guyanense on feral male moths varied from fairly uniform among abdominal segments t o clumped on segments 8-10. Transfer success of N. guyanense among mat ing hosts averaged 2.8% for juveniles and 7.2% for adults on hosts mat ing a mean of 98 min. On moths mating an average of 415 min, the trans fer of nematodes from infested male moths to female moths averaged 19. 4% for juveniles and 18.5% for adults.