Environmental Entomology (1988) 17, 233-237

H.R. Gross Jr. (1988)
Archytas marmoratus (Diptera: Tachinidae): Field survival and performance of mechanically extracted maggots
Environmental Entomology 17 (2), 233-237
Abstract: Mechanically extracted maggots of Archytas marmoratus (Townsend) (AM) were evaluated against larvae of Heliothis zea (Boddie) and Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) in whorl and early tassel stage corn, Zea mays L. Survival of AM maggots applied in whorl-stage corn declined significantly, from 80.5% at time of application, to 53.3 and 14.6% by 72 and 120 h after application, respectively. Rates of AM parasitization of H. zea larvae offered 24, 48, and 72 h after maggots were applied in early-tassel stage corn declined progressively over the 3 d. Conversely, rates of AM parasitization of H. zea larvae increased progressively with time of continuous exposure to maggots up to 32 h. Rates of AM parasitization of H. zea larvae tended to increase progressively from the third- to the fifth-instar larvae. Rates of AM parasitization of fourth- and fifth-instar H. zea larvae increased progressively and significantly with densities of 5, 10, and 20 AM maggots per plant. Increases in rates of AM parasitization of fifth-instar S. frugiperda larvae exposed to similar maggot densities were inconsistent, but were generally lower than the rates of parasitization of H. zea larvae.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
general biology - morphology - evolution
application technology

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Helicoverpa zea	Maize/corn (Zea mays)	U.S.A. (SE)
	Spodoptera frugiperda	Maize/corn (Zea mays)	U.S.A. (SE)
Archytas marmoratus (parasitoid)	Helicoverpa zea	Maize/corn (Zea mays)	U.S.A. (SE)
Archytas marmoratus (parasitoid)	Spodoptera frugiperda	Maize/corn (Zea mays)	U.S.A. (SE)