Effects of dietary salts and RNA on the total adult and female emergence of Pimpla turionellae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae)

Abstract

The present study investigated the effects of dietary salts and RNA on the sex ratio of emerging Pimpla turionellae (L.). The tested diets contained different concentrations of a salt mixture or RNA (0.0000, 0.0375, 0.0750 (control), and 0.1125 mg per 100 ml diet for each). To determine the sex ratio, 10 female and five males that matured on the same day were transferred to each experimental cage. There was no clear effect of the concentration of salt mixtures on total adult emergence. However, maximum female emergence (66.57%) occurred when 50% of the salt content of the control diet was removed. In terms of RNA, maximum adult emergence (81.85%) occurred when the amount in the control diet was increased by 50%, which corresponded to 0.1125 g RNA in the diet. By contrast, minimum female emergence (50.73%) occurred when there was 0.0750 g RNA in the diet.