BIOLOGY OF CEPHALONOMIA-STEPHANODERIS BET REM (HYMENOPTERA, BETHYLIDAE) IN THE LABORATORY .2. DEVELOPMENT CYCLE, SEX-RATIO, ADULT LONGEVITYAND LIFE EXPECTANCY

Laboratory studies of the biology of Cephalonomia stephanoderis Betrem , a parasitoid of Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari), a coffee bean pest, s howed that at 26 +/- 1-degrees-C, males and females have very similar development cycles (around 20 days). However, the males remain in the coffee berries for longer than the females after emergence. The sex ra tio does not seem to be affected by ambient development conditions bet ween 26 and 30-degrees-C and is 0.12 on average. Adult longevity is in creased by a honey-based diet and average life expectancy, which is hi gher for the female than for the male, can be over one month at 26 +/- 1-degrees-C. These various characteristics are discussed and their pr actical consequences considered with a view to using the parasitoid fo r biological control.