Bionomics of <I>Calopepla leayana</I> Latr. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), A Serious Defoliator of <I>Gmelina arborea</I> Roxb Plantations in India

Abstract

Tbe bionomics of Calopepla leayana Latr. was studied in the laboratory. outdoor wire-meshed cages of insectary as well as well as in the field conditions. Adult beetles after returning from hibernation in the first week of May, lay their eggs on the first available trees of Gmelina arborea. The mating period is observed to be 71.25 ± 22.60 mts. Eggs are laid either on the undersurface of leaf or on the tender stems near the apex of twig in the form of an ootheca. One female is capable of laying as many as 18 oothecae, each producing from 32 to 65 eggs. An exceptionally larger ootheca may contain about 97 eggs. Life-history studies reveals that under normal abiotic conditions, the pests undergoes three generations annually and all the generations overlap considerably. The sex proportion between males and females during different generations was 45.66 ± 2.76% and 54.35 ± 2.75% respectively.