Adult size and reproduction in the ectoparasitoid Agrothereutes lanceolatus Walker (Hym., Ichneumonidae)

The effects of adult male and female size on reproductive performance in Agrothereutes lanceolatus Walker, a solitary ectoparasitoid of mature larvae and pupae of several pyralids and tortricids, were investigated. Females had a longer mean lifetime than males. Larger females lived longer, whereas the size of males did not influence the longevity. The number of ovarioles per female did not differ among females of different sizes but larger females carried a greater number of mature and immature eggs. When presented with host cocoons, large females parasitized a higher percentage of hosts than small females. This was due to the fact that larger females accepted more hosts for oviposition whereas smaller ones rejected more hosts. Small and large females used equal numbers of hosts for host-feeding, suggesting that large females removed a greater amount of materials from single hosts through host-feeding.