Plant feeding by Eocanthecona furcellata (Wolff.) (Heteroptera: Asopinae): effect on development, survival and reproduction.
Senrayan R.
Author Affiliation: Entomology Research Institute, Loyola College, Madras 600?034, India.
Phytophaga (Madras) 3 : 103-108
Abstract : Individuals of Eocanthecona furcellata [Cantheconidea furcellata] were collected from Mangifera indica [mangoes] and Moringa oleifera in Madras, India, in 1986-89. The adults and larvae were provided with some combination of diet (larvae of L. lepida [lepidopteran genus is not specified, possibly Latoia, preferred name is Parasa lepida], water and leaves of M. indica) in the laboratory. Larvae provided with only leaves and water died in their 2nd or 3rd instar. Larvae reared with prey and leaves survived in 92% of cases. Larvae reared with prey and water survived in 88% of cases. Larvae reared with prey alone survived in 82% of cases. The length of time taken for development from the 3rd to the 5th instar was reduced if a diet of prey was supplemented with leaves, and the larvae and adult females were larger in these cases. The implications of the polyphagous nature of C. furcellata on its use as a biological control agent are mentioned. The predator population may be sustained in periods of low prey density by feeding on vegetation, but there is the possibility that it may be a vector of plant disease.