Bionomics of defoliator, Gastropacha pardale (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae), on mango.
Masarrat Haseeb, Abbas S. R., Srivastava R. P.
Author Affiliation: Department of Plant Protection; Faculty of Agriculture, A.M.U., Aligarh - 202 002, India.
Annals of Plant Protection Sciences 14 : 99-101
Abstract : The biology and life history of G. pardale on mango were studied under laboratory conditions. The brown adult resembled a brown leaf when at rest. Wing size was 39-46 mm in males and 60-75 mm in females. The body length reached 24-32 mm in males and 29-37 mm in females. Six and 7 larval instars were recorded for the male and female, respectively. The larval stage covered 25-36 days. The male pupa was 22-27 mm long and 5.5-7.0 mm wide, whereas the female pupa was 26-37 mm long and 6-9 mm wide. G. pardale appeared during the rainy season. The adults, which were caught in September, mated during the day for 1-2 days. The eggs were laid in groups (2-68 eggs) or singly. The incubation period was 5 days. The larvae were gregarious, feeding in groups. Soon after hatching, the first-instar larvae started nibbling on leaves. The larvae fed mostly at night. The pre-pupal period lasted 1-2 days, whereas the pupal period ranged from 8 to 10 days. The total life cycle was completed within 38-51 days. The females were greater in number than the males. Adult males lasted 3-4 days, whereas adult females lasted 4-6 days. Some 211 eggs were produced per female.