Host Plant and Leaf-Age Preference ofLuprops tristis(Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Lagriinae: Lupropini): A Home Invading Nuisance Pest in Rubber Plantation Belts

Abstract

Massive seasonal invasion by the litter-dwelling beetle Luprops tristis, into residential buildings prior to monsoon rains, and their prolonged state of dormancy render them a very serious nuisance pest in rubber plantations in the Western Ghats in southern India. Feeding preferences of L. tristis towards leaf litter of seven trees co-occurring in rubber plantations, cashew (Anacardium occidentale), mango (Mangifera indica), jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus), wild jack (Artocarpus hirsutus), cocoa (Theobroma cacao), cassia (Cassia fistula), sapota (Manilkara zapota) and rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) were analyzed with no-choice and multiple-choice leaf disc tests. Results showed that L. tristis is a generalist feeder with a defined pattern of preference, with the leaf litter of rubber being the most preferred followed by those of jackfruit and cocoa. Tender leaves were preferred over mature leaves except for cocoa and sapota. Equal preference towards tender and mature cocoa leaves, presence of patches of cocoa plantations and the scarce distribution of other host plants in rubber plantation belts leads to the proposal that in the absence of tender and mature rubber leaves, cocoa becomes the major host plant of L. tristis.

Sweep Sampling Comparison of Terrestrial Insect Communities Associated with Herbaceous Stratum in the Riparian Zone of the Miho River, Korea

“…The insects collected were stored in 94% ethanol or retained as dried specimens in the Natural History Laboratory of the National Science Museum. The known host plants of the herbivorous insects sampled and the plant fauna at each site were compared and matched, based on previous literature [ 13 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 49 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 ].…”

Preference and performance of the rice leaf folder, Cnaphalocrocis medinalis, in relation to rice developmental stage

“…These findings are similar to the cage test results in a previous study (Dan & Chen, 1990). Oviposition preference of phytophagous insects may be affected by such factors as the presence of natural enemies (de Silva et al, 2011), host plant species (Knolhoff & Heckel, 2014), leaf age (Rodrigues & Moreira, 1999; Bittencourt‐Rodrigues & Zucoloto, 2005; Thomas et al, 2012; Piyasaengthong et al, 2016), morphological characteristics (García‐Coapio et al, 2017), and volatiles (Knolhoff & Heckel, 2014). The results of our cage tests and Y‐tube olfactometer tests indicate that plant volatiles may play an important role in the selection of plants for oviposition in RLF.…”