Insects (2020) 11 (4 - 218)

Nickolas G. Kavallieratos, Goran Andric, Marijana Prazic Golic, Erifili P. Nika, Anna Skourti, Petar Kljajic and Nikos E. Papanikolaou (2020)
Biological features and population growth of two southeastern European Tribolium confusum Jacquelin du Val (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) strains
Insects 11 (4 - 218)
Abstract: A study of the biological features and the potential population growth between two laboratory strains of the confused flour beetle, Tribolium confusum Jacquelin du Val (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) from Greece and Serbia is conducted on cracked barley and cracked white rice. The results show that, at a species level, T. confusum is able to complete development on cracked barley but not on cracked white rice. Therefore, cracked white rice proves to be an unsuitable commodity for T. confusum. Larval development on cracked barley is significantly shorter for the Serbian compared to the Greek strain (37.7 and 49.7 days, respectively), but pupal development does not differ between the two strains (6.2 days for both strains). Additionally, male longevity does not differ between the Greek and Serbian strains (144.4 and 151.4 days, respectively), while female longevity is significantly shorter for the Serbian (151.7 days) compared to the Greek strain (186.6 days). Fecundity does not differ between the two strains (11.3 and 17.7 eggs/female for the Greek and the Serbian strain, respectively), whilst survival is higher for the Serbian strain on both tested commodities. The values of the net reproductive rate, the intrinsic rate of increase and the finite rate of increase on cracked barley are significantly higher for the Serbian (7.27 females/female, 0.025 female/female/day and 1.026, respectively) compared to the Greek strain (2.91 females/female, 0.014 females/female/day and 1.014, respectively). It therefore is expected that different strains of T. confusum may exhibit variable phenology as well as potential population growth. Additionally, we expect our results to have bearing on the management of this species.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
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Database assignments for author(s): Nickolas G. Kavallieratos, Petar Kljajic

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Tribolium confusum	Stored grain	Greece
	Tribolium confusum	Stored grain	Serbia