Effects of Parasitism by a Tachinid, Lixophaga diatraeae1 on Growth and Food Consumption of Sugarcane Borer Larvae2,3

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Abstract
In the laboratory, sugarcane borers (SCB), Diatraca saccharalis (F.), parasitized as 3rd-, 4th-, or early 5th-stage larvae by the tachinid, Lixophaga diatracae (Townsend), consumed less food and gained less weight than comparable unparasitized larvae. Parasitized larvae retained a greater percentage of ingested food than did the unparasitized larvae, but unparasitized larvae were more efficient in converting the retained food to body weight. There was no statistical difference (P > 0.05) in efficiency of utilizing ingested food for body weight between parasitized and unparasitized larvae. There was no difference in head capsule size between larvae parasitized in the 3rd-, 4th-, or 5th-stage and comparable unparasitized larvae. Significant weight differences between unparasitized male (4.7±1.6 mg) and female (6.0±1.9 mg) SCB larvae were evident as early as 9 days after eclosion.

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