Suitability of Four Smoked Fish Species to Dermestes maculatue (De Geer) [Coleoptera: Dermestidae].

Abstract

The suitability of four smoked fish species. namely. the Trigger fish (Balistes capriscus Gmelin). Catfish (Synodontis sp.), African catfish (Clarias gariepinus Burchel), and Nile tilapia (Orcochromis niloticus Linnaeus), for hide beetle. Dermestes maculatus (De Geer). development was investigated in the laboratory over a 90-day period. Significant (P<0.05) weight losses were recorded in the two multiple-choice and one no-choice tests with the highest weight loss (78.50±7.15 %) occurring in Synodontis sp. and the lowest weight loss (46.7±2.92 %) occurring in O. niloticus. Interactions between fish species and test methods were significant (P<0.05). The number of D. maculatus which emerged when the pest had free movement from one fish jar to another jar was significantly (P<0.05) higher compared with the test where the pest was confined to ajar containing a single fish species. Significantly higher number of adults developed on Clarias in the no-choice test.