Biology of the House Fly Predator <Emphasis Type="Italic">Carcinops pumilio</Emphasis> (Erichson) (Coleoptera: Histeridae)

Two larval instars of Carcinops pumilio (Erichson) were identified from a frequency distribution of the head capsule measurements. The total developmental time from egg to adult emergence averaged 20.5 ± 0.1 days at 30 °C. The 2nd instar was the longest, accounting for 39% of the total development time. The 1st instar larvae sustained the highest mortality of 26% whilst there was no mortality in the pupal stage. The immature stages sustained about 50% mortality before adult emergence. The adult females of C. pumilio can live for 140 days and the rate of survival was high in the young adults but decreased as the beetles aged. Newly emerged adults survived for 25.5 ± 0.4 days without feeding. The sex ratio was 0.48 females: 0.52 males. The intrinsic rate of natural increase (r_m) was 0.065, the generation time (T) was 50.019 days and the net reproduction rate (R_o) was 20.191.