Abstract: 【Aim】 The study aims to explore the effects of maternal care on offspring developmental performance of Scleroderma guani Xiao et Wu，so as to provide important theoretical evidence for its subsocial behavior. 【Methods】 S. guani wasps were reared on Monochamus alternatus larvae (body weight=0.532±0.021 g， mean±SE) according to the 1 female wasp/0.1 g host in a glass tube in the growth cabinet with the conditions of 25±5℃， 70%±5%RH， and a photoperiod of 10L∶14D. The growth and development of the parasitoid offspring were tested in six different maternal care treatments (removing mother wasps in egg， early instar larva， late instar larva， mature larva， spinning mature larva and pupa cocoon stages of their offspring， respectively) and the control (with maternal care in all developmental stages of offspring). 【Results】 In the experimental group lacking of maternal care in egg stage， the mean developmental duration of early instar larva prolonged obviously， being 1.6 times as high as that of the control group. When there was lack of maternal care in different developmental stages， the mean developmental duration of mature larvae also prolonged 0.885 d as compared with the control group. Moreover， lack of maternal care in egg and larval stages was unfavorable for the offspring survival. In the experimental groups without maternal care in egg stage， the survival rates of mature larvae and spinning mature larvae were 22.08% and 17.43%， respectively， which were only one third and one fourth of that of the control group, respectively. In the experimental groups lacking of maternal care in egg stage， early instar larva， late instar larva and mature larva， the infection rates of offspring by Beauveria bassiana were above 40%. Especially in the experimental group lacking of maternal care in early instar larva， the infection rate of offspring was up to 65.68%， which was 11 times as high as that in the control group. 【Conclusion】 The maternal care in S. guani can promote the offspring development and survival rate and reduce the infection rate of offspring by pathogens，playing important roles in the parasitoid’s population reproduction.

Key words: Scleroderma guani, maternal care, female removal, developmental stage, offspring fitness, Beauveria bassiana