BIOLOGY OF TRICHOGRAMMATOIDEA-SIMMONDSI (HYM, TRICHOGRAMMATIDAE) ON SORGHUM SHOOT FLY, ATHERIGONA-SOCCATA (DIPT, MUSCIDAE) EGGS

Experiments were conducted in a rearing room to study the biology of T richogrammatoidea simmondsi Nagaraja (Hym.: Trichogrammatidae) on sorg hum shoot fly, Atherigona soccata Rondani (Dipt. : Muscidae) eggs. Sho ot fly eggs were divided in two groups : 1) eggs < 24 h old and, 2) > 24 h old eggs. Thirty eggs of each group were used in a randomized com plete block design with four replicates. Shoot fly eggs less than 24 h old were preferred (73 % of parasitism) over 24 h old eggs (7.25 %). Three larval instars of T. simmondsi were observed. Few eggs with two T. simmondsi exit holes (1.87 %) were recorded in > 24 h old eggs comp ared with < 24 h ones (3.74 %). The sex ratio male : female was 1:1.47 . The development from oviposition to adult emergence ranged from 7 to 12 days (average = 9.8 +/- 1.3 1, n = 40), and the average life span of male and female T. simmondsi was 25 +/- 1.46 h (range 22-26 h, n = 12) and 35.17 +/- 10.9 (range 25-50 h, n = 28) respectively at 26-degr ees-C, 60-65 % R.H. and 12:12 (L/D) photoperiod. This paper constitute s the first published information on the biology of T. simmondsi on th e sorghum shoot fly eggs.