Effects of Sugar Content in the Artificial Diet for Adults on the Mating and Reproductive Performance of the West Indian Sweetpotato Weevil（<i>Euscepes postfasciatus</i>（Coleoptera: Curculionidae））

The West Indian sweetpotato weevil（Euscepes postfasciatus（Fairmaire）（Coleoptera: Curculionidae））is a serious pest of sweet potatoes in some countries. To increase the male mating ability of the weevils produced by a mass-rearing facility using the sterile insect technique（SIT）, we examined the effect of the amount of sugar contained in an artificial diet for adults on the mating performance of males and fecundity of females of E. postfasciatus. There was a positive correlation between the amount of sugar in the diet and the mating ability of virgin males； however, under a free-mating condition, the sugar content had a negative effect on the male mating ability. Our results showed that the sugar content in an artificial diet for adults can alter the mating and reproductive performance in the West Indian sweetpotato weevil.