Life and Fertility Tables for Spodoptera Exempta (Wlk.) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae)

Abstract

Laboratory reared populations of Spodoptera exempta (Wlk.) had higher net reproductive rate and capacity for increase on maize, Zea mais L. and star grass, Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. than on Kikuyu grass, Pennisetum clandestinum Chiov., Guinea grass, Panicum maximum Jacq. and Setaria plicatilis (Hochst.) Hack. These parameters were greatly influenced by the larval mortality, but in all cases they were greater than one demonstrating that S. exempta populations can multiply on all the host plants tested. Since no populations with stable age distributions are known for S. exempta the net reproductive rate is more appropriate than the capacity for increase in estimating its population growth.