Laboratory rearing of the broad-nosed weevil Scepticus tigrinus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) using artificial and plant-based diets

Abstract

Scepticus tigrinus Roelofs (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and its related species are polyphagous weevil pests that damage various vegetables and crops. Despite their agricultural importance, scalable and straightforward rearing methods using artificial diets have not been established, limiting physiological and developmental studies necessary for effective pest control. The present study evaluated a commercially available artificial diet (F1675) for rearing S. tigrinus. We found that this artificial diet is suitable for the larval growth of S. tigrinus. However, the pupation rate was markedly low. To address this issue, we established a combined diet-rearing protocol in which larvae are fed with an artificial diet until the final instar and then exposed to raw plant pieces during the late final instar stage. This method significantly improved pupation success compared to the artificial diet alone (21.68%) and demonstrated higher pupation efficiency relative to labor input than the conventional raw plant-based rearing. Notably, final instar larvae pupated without feeding on the plant material, suggesting that non-nutritive cues--possibly chemical signals from the plants--may trigger pupation. The proposed combined diet protocol offers a practical approach for mass rearing and facilitates physiological and genetic studies of S. tigrinus and related weevil pests.