Palmistichus elaeisis Delvare & LaSalle, 1993 is an endoparasitoid collected from pupae of Sabulodes sp. (Lepidoptera, Geometridae). The immature stages of this parasitoid were studied in laboratory (25 ± 1ºC; 70 ± 10% RH; 14-hour photoperiod) in the following Lepidoptera pupae: Diatraea saccharalis (Fabricius, 1794) (Crambidae), Anticarsia gemmatalis Hübner, 1818, Heliothis virescens (Fabricius, 1781), Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith, 1797) (Noctuidae) and Thyrinteina arnobia (Stoll, 1782) (Geometridae). It was observed that the eggs and the 1st instar larvae are hyaline and hymenopteriform; 2nd, 3rd and 4th instars larvae are whitish and 12-segmented. The host species did not influence the number of instars.
Biology; Eulophidae; parasitoid
