Ontogeny, population dynamics, and functional response of the brachypterous parasitoid Anastatus meilingensis on the factitious host Antheraea pernyi

Anastatus meilingensis (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae) is a brachypterous egg parasitoid of various lepidopteran and hemipteran pests. To support a cost-effective method for rearing A. meilingensis, we systematically studied its ontogeny, reproductive attributes, population projection, egg maturation pattern, functional response, and mutual interference when reared on a suitable factitious host egg of Chinese oak silkworm (COS), Antheraea pernyi (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae).

Using a two-sex life table and laboratory bioassays, we found that A. meilingensis completed development from egg to adult in 23.70 days at 25 °C, with a female-biased sex ratio (76.85%). Females exhibited high fecundity (203.88 offspring over 24.55 oviposition days), a high intrinsic rate of increase (r = 0.1514 d^-1), a high transformation rate (Q_p = 1.00) and a short pre-oviposition period (1.56 days). Ovary dissections confirmed its strict synovigenic nature, with most eggs maturing post-emergence and an 81.1% egg regeneration index. The parasitoid exhibited a type II functional response to host density and showed significant mutual interference at higher female densities, although female progeny ratio remained stable.

These results demonstrate the high reproductive potential and biological control capacity of A. meilingensis on COS eggs. To optimize field application, adults should be fed post-emergence to enable egg maturation, and female overcrowding should be avoided to minimize interference. This study supports the development of efficient rearing protocols and provides a foundation for the use of A. meilingensis in augmentative biological control programs. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.