Ecology and biology ofNoctuidonema guyanense (Nematoda,aphelenchoididae), an ectoparasite ofSpodoptera frugiperda (Lep., Noctuidae), in French Guiana

Male and female moths ofSpodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), collected in French Guiana between 1980 and 1987 were examined to evaluate the level of parasitism by the Aphelenchoidid ectoparasitic nematodeNoctuidonema guyanense Remillet &; Silvain. The rate of parasitism varies according to the population level ofS. frugiperda, the sex of the moths, number of matings, and age of the females. The results confirm that the transmission of the nematode from one moth to another occurs during mating. The growth of a nematode colony on a moth seems to be limited by the development of the physiological state of the host.