Effect of female body size and adult feeding on the fecundity and longevity of the parasitoid Cephalonomia stephanoderis Betrem (Hymenoptera : Bethylidae)

The influence of female body size and adult feeding on the fecundity and lo ngevity of female Cephalonomia stephanoderis Betrem (Hymenoptera: Bethylida e), attacking the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleop tera: Scolytidae), was examined under laboratory conditions. Size and fecun dity were positively correlated, whereas size had no influence on longevity of females continually provided with hosts. In contrast to theoretical mod els of host feeding, host feeding rate in C. stephanoderis increased over t he parasitoid's lifespan, whereas oviposition rate decreased with age. The oviposition rate was higher and the oviposition period longer in large fema les than in small ones. As C. stephanoderis grew older, egg and sperm exhau stion were observed, especially in small females where a single mating was not sufficient for fertilization of all the eggs deposited during their lif etime. Developmental mortality of the offspring of small females was higher compared with large females, which may be attributed to a greater ability of large females to subdue and parasitize coffee berry borer pupae. Host fe eding, by itself, promoted female survival. All host stages enhanced wasp l ongevity, but eggs and pupae were the most effective host stages in increas ing longevity. Our findings have significant implications in mass rearing a nd management programs by determining conditions likely to improve parasito id production and defining desirable biological attributes of C. stephanode ris,lis as a biological control agent of the coffee berry borer.