Biological and autecological studies of the mango leaf-cutting weevil, Deporaus marginatus Pascoe (Coleoptera: Attelabidae).
Tigvattnanont S.
Author Affiliation: Dep. Plant Production Tech., Fac. Agric. Tech., KMIT Chaokhuntaharn Ladkrabang Campus, Thailand.
Khon Kaen Agriculture Journal 16 : 51-62
Abstract : The biology of the attelabid Deporaus marginatus, a serious pest of mangoes in Thailand, was studied. Adults feed on the epidermis of young leaves causing browning and death of leaves and the females excavate small cavities on either side of the midribs on leaves and deposit one egg in each cavity. Two to 14 eggs are laid in one leaf which is then cut near the base and drops to the ground. The larvae mine the tissue of fallen leaves and mature larvae pupate in the soil. The average duration of the egg, larval and pupal stages in the laboratory was 1.99, 11.13 and 7.71 days, respectively. The average duration of one generation was 20.83 days, and the longevity of males and females were 63.40 and 71.80 days, respectively. Mating behaviour began on the 5-7th day after emergence. The copulation time was 50-65 min and, on average, 614.47 eggs were laid per female. The host range and distribution of D. marginatus were surveyed in Thailand from April 1986 to October 1987. The following species were recorded as host plants: mangoes, Mangifera caloneura, M. foetida and Bouea burmanica, and D. marginatus had a widespread distribution in Thailand.