Fitness of two mushroom flies Bradysia minpleuroti (Diptera: Sciaridae) and Coboldia fuscipes (Diptera: Scatopsidae) fed on two edible mushrooms

Dictyophora rubrovolvata and Pleurotus ostreatus are economically important mushrooms in China. Bradysia minpleuroti Yang et Zhang and Cobolidia fuscipes (Meigen, 1830) are important mushroom flies that damage the two mushrooms. In this study we used the age-stage, two-sex life table method assessed the fitness of B. minpleuroti and C. fuscipes when they were respectively fed on D. rubrovolvata and P. ostreatus. Our results showed that the 1st (2.39 days) and 2nd (1.41 days) instar larvae, pupa (2.87 days) and total longevity (18.19 days) of B. minpleuroti were shorter when fed on P. ostreatus than fed on D. rubrovolvata (3.46, 1.86, 3.10, 20.19 days). B. minpleuroti had similar fecundity when fed on the two edible mushrooms. B. minpleuroti had higher values of net reproductive rate (R0, 87.73), intrinsic rate of increase (r, 0.2604), and finite rate of increase (λ, 1.2974) and shorter mean generation time (T, 17.19) when fed on P. ostreatus than fed on D. rubrovalvata. The developmental period of larvae stage and pupa stage of C. fuscipes were significantly affected by the two edible mushrooms. Female fecundity, total longevity, R0, r, λ and T of C. fuscipes were not significantly different between the two edible mushrooms. We found that fitness of B. minpleuroti larvae had higher fitness when fed on P. ostreatus than fed on D. rubrovolvata. However, the fitness of C. fuscipes larvae had no significant difference fed on the two edible mushrooms. This study has provided valuable data and insights by delving into the adaptability of two significant pests on two edible mushrooms. It facilitates the development of more effective pest management strategies, contributing to the development of the mushroom industry.