Food consumption and utilization for unparasitized larvae of Pseudaletia sequax Franclemont (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in relation to parasitized larvae with Glyptapanteles muesebecki (Blanchard) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) was evaluated in laboratory, using kikuyo grass (Pennisetum clandestinum) as larval food. Parasitized larvae consumed significantly less foliage than unparasitized ones, although the larval stage of parasitized larvae was longer than the healthy ones. Parasitized larvae which had seven instars produced more parasitoids and consumed significantly more foliage than parasitized larvae which had six instars. Relative consumption rate (RCR), relative metabolic rate (RMR) and approximate digestibility (AD) were significantly higher in parasitized larvae, but the relative growth rate (RGR) and the efficiency of ingested (ECI) and digested (ECD) food were higher in unparasitized larvae. G. muesebecki regulates growth and development of P. sequax through the number of eggs laid. The values obtained for the number of pupae/host were positively correlated with food consumption and final weight of the host. The development time of the parasitoid was also positively correlated to the number of pupae/host.
Insecta; biological control; parasitoid; host regulation; armyworm
