Effect of different host plants on nutritional indices of wild silk moth, Cricula trifenestrata.
Supriya Biswas, Hath T. K., Nilay Ray
Author Affiliation: PG Department of Zoology, Acharya BN Seal College, Cooch Behar, West Bengal - 736 101, India.
Journal of Entomological Research 37 : 223-227
Abstract : Larvae of Cricula trifenestrata reared on Bakul showed the highest Consumption Index (CI) during fifth instar (66.19). Approximate digestibility (AD) values of the larvae were highest (67.74%) on Som during first instar. efficiency of conversion of digested food (eCD) and efficiency of conversion of ingested food (ECI) (42.32% and 16.00%, respectively) was highest on Som during fifth instar. Whole larval instars showed the highest ECI and ECD values on Som (18.76% and 48.38% respectively), and the lowest of both values on Bakul (ECI: 15.11% and ECD: 36.54%). The results of nutritional indices indicated that Som was the best suitable host for feeding of C. trifenestrata.