Influence of male presence and host diet on Campoletis sonorensis parasitism of Spodoptera frugiperda

Campoletis sonorensis is an important native parasitoid of herbivore Spodoptera frugiperda that produces significant losses in maize agroecosystems. Here we evaluated the influence of C. sonorensis male presence during parasitization and the influence of S. frugiperda larvae diet (native maize, hybrid maize, the castorbean and a semisynthetic diet) on the performance of the parasitoid. The sex ratio of C. sonorensis progeny and the percentage of parasitism were similar both with and without the presence of the male. Larvae of S. frugiperda fed on native maize were parasitized to a greater extent. The semisynthetic diet produced larger C. sonorensis cocoons. No significant differences were found in the longevity of the descendants, the duration of the developmental stages of C. sonorensis or the mortality of the parasitized larvae of S. frugiperda on the different diet treatments. To ensure optimal reproduction of C. sonorensis in the laboratory, we recommend parasitization without the male, feeding S. frugiperda with native maize.