Abstract

MORENO FAJARDO, Olga Lucía  and  SERNA CARDONA, Francisco Javier. BIOLOGY OF Copitarsia decolora (LEPIDOPTERA: NOCTUIDAE: CUCULLIINAE), ON CULTIVATED FLOWERS OF THE COMMERCIAL HYBRID OF Alstroemeria spp. Rev. Fac. Nac. Agron. Medellín [online]. 2006, vol.59, n.1, pp.3257-3270. ISSN 0304-2847.

Copitarsia decolora is a pest in cut flowers for exportation. Its management requires basic and local information about its biology. In the present study we followed its life cycle on plants of Astromelia under two different temperature (°C) and relative humidity (RH) environments: conditions of 23,72 °C and 82,93 % RH were controlled in a phitotron and those of 17,72 °C and 65,26 % RH in a greenhouse. Likewise, we described the different stages of development of the pest and also some behavioral aspects. Respectively, for the phitotron and greenhouse, the time periods (days) were: eggs 4 and 6, larva 17,23 ± 0,48 and 35,10 ± 5,37, pupa 15,4 ± 0.49 and 21 ± 1,85, female adults 12,67 ± 5,6 and 18,44 (range 13), males 12,56 ± 4,54 and 15 (range 11). The whole life cycle encompassed 49,23 and 80,54 days for females and 49,19 and 77,1 days for males. Under the conditions of this study th species presented five larval instars. Each larval instar had a factor of,0,6 of cephalic capsule growth. The study also registered length and width dimensions of larvae within each instar.

Keywords : Copitarsia decolora; cut flowers for export; astromelia; life history.

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