The demography of the rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), submodels of age-specific survivorship and fecundity

Abstract Experiments are described in which age-specific survivorship and fecundity of Sitophilus oryzae (L.) were determined over a wide range of environmental conditions (15·0-32·3°C and 11–14 % grain moisture content). The data derived from these experiments, together with some previously published data, were used to develop mathematical submodels for these processes. The models are continuous functions of time, grain moisture content and grain temperature. Rates of increase per week and per generation were calculated for the range of environmental conditions used. The results are discussed in relation to previously published work, and the potential usefulness of the submodels is discussed briefly.