Evaluation of Corcyra cephalonica as an Alternative Host for Meteorus pulchricornis

Meteorus pulchricornis is an important larval parasitoid of lepidopteran pests and has been widely considered for use in biological control programs. Identifying a promising candidate for a factitious host is essential for its efficient rearing. Currently, Mythimna separata is the main host for mass rearing of M. pulchricornis, but this system faces problems such as high production cost, larval cannibalism, and low rearing efficiency. In this study, we evaluated the suitability of Corcyra cephalonica as a candidate factitious host for M. pulchricornis, using M. separata as a reference host. Host suitability was assessed through parasitism rate, cocooning rate, and eclosion rate under different host body lengths and parasitoid-to-host ratios. In addition, offspring quality was evaluated by measuring adult body length, total egg number, and subsequent parasitism, cocooning, and eclosion performance. Parasitism, cocooning, and eclosion rates did not differ significantly among late instar C. cephalonica larvae with body lengths of approximately 10–15 mm. The parasitoid-to-host ratio had a pronounced effect on performance. Parasitism and cocooning rates were highest at a ratio of 1:5 and declined with increasing host density. Offspring derived from C. cephalonica showed comparable parasitism, cocooning, and eclosion rates to those derived from M. separata, although adult body length and total egg number were significantly lower. Overall, our results provide preliminary evidence that C. cephalonica can support the development and reproductive activity of M. pulchricornis. However, the reduced body size and egg load indicate that further optimization is required before this host can be considered equivalent to the reference host. These findings suggest that C. cephalonica is a promising candidate for a factitious host and may warrant further investigation for the development of rearing protocols.