Demography and Mass Rearing of the Medicinal Blister Beetle Epicauta impressicornis (Pic) (Coleoptera: Meloidae) at Different Temperatures.

The population dynamics of the blister beetle, Epicauta impressicornis (Pic) (Coleoptera: Meloidae) had been investigated from 2014 to 2016 in field. The results showed that E. impressicornis is univoltine and overwintered in the fifth instar in the Luodian area of Guizhou, China. The biological and ecological characteristic of the beetle were analyzed at six temperatures (i.e., 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, and 36°C) in the laboratory using the age-stage, two-sex life table. The developmental duration, longevity, and total preoviposition period were significantly shortened with increases in temperatures. The adult preoviposition periods at 24, 27, and 30°C were significantly longer than at other temperatures, while the fecundities at 27 and 30°C were significantly higher than at other temperatures. Life expectancy (exj) decreased with age and the reproductive value (vxj) increased with age. The intrinsic rate of increase (r = 0.0921 d-1) and finite rate (λ = 1.0965 d-1) were the highest at 33°C, followed by 30°C (r = 0.0758 d-1, λ = 1.0788 d-1). Although the net reproductive rate (R0 = 17.63 offspring) was the lowest at 36°C, the values of r (0.0724 d-1) and λ (1.0751 d-1) were higher at 36°C than those at 21, 24, and 27°C. Our analysis for a mass-rearing system showed the most efficient and economical strategy would be to rear E. impressicornis at 30-33°C.