Dilobopterus costalimai (Young) and Oncometopia facialis (Signoret) are two of the most important species of citrus leafhoppers, vectors of bacterium Xylella fastidiosa which causes the Citrus Variegated Chlorosis (CVC) disease. To develop a rearing technique for these species under laboratory conditions, the egg laying preference and nymph development were studied in different breeding systems: Rangpur lime (Citrus limonia) and "falso boldo" (Vernonia condensata) as host plants. Trials were set up in a randomized block design with three treatments (n=8). Females of D. costalimai had particular preference for ovipositing on Rangpur lime leaves while O. facialis females placed a higher number of eggs on "falso boldo", but it did not differ statistically from the Rangpur lime. The nymphal viability of D. costalimai was null in Rangpur lime and 58% in "falso boldo". For O. facialis the nymphal viability was 25 and 78% in Rangpur lime and "falso boldo", respectively. "Falso boldo" is more suitable as a host plant to rear the two species of citrus leafhoppers. The alternation of host plants seems to be an important survival mechanism of the CVC-vector species, as shown in natural conditions.

A biologia de Diabrotica speciosa (Germar, 1824) foi estudada em câmaras climatizadas, ajustadas para 18, 20, 22, 25, 30 e 32 ºC e fotofase de 14 h. O alimento utilizado para o desenvolvimento larval foram raízes seminais de milho pipoca, previamente tratadas com uma mistura de fungicidas (Thiabendazole: 1.0 g/kg e Captan: 1.5 g/kg). O desenvolvimento das fases de ovo, larva-adulto e ovo-adulto, na faixa de 18 a 32ºC, esteve inversamente correlacionado com a temperatura. Os limiares térmicos inferiores de desenvolvimento foram de 11,1ºC (ovo); 10,9º C (larva-adulto) e 11,04ºC (ovo-adulto). As constantes térmicas da fase de ovo, período larva-adulto e período ovo-adulto foram 119,1, 355,9 e 474,9 graus-dia, respectivamente.

Veronicellid slugs are the main intermediate hosts for Angiostrongylus costaricencis. In a rural locality in Nova Itaberaba (SC, southern Brazil) Sarasinula linguaeformis was identified as a crop pest. The parasitological examination revealed A. costaricencis infection in 43 out ot 50 slugs. The prevalence of 86% and the individual parasitic burdens are the highest sofar reported in Brazil and S. linguaeformis is the first species from the genus Sarasinula to be identified as intermediate host for A. costaricencis in southern Brazil.

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Foi estudada a preferência de oviposição de Diabrotica speciosa (Germar, 1824), em relação a diferentes tipos de solo e diferentes umidades, em teste de livre escolha. Os experimentos foram realizados em laboratório à temperatura de 25 ± 2ºC, UR de 60 ± 10% e fotofase de 14h. Os resultados evidenciaram uma acentuada preferência de oviposição por solo tipo Terra Roxa Estruturada Distrófica de cor escura, com umidade variando entre 26 a 63%.