Neohydronomus pulchellus 1, a Weevil Attacking Pistia stratiotes in South America: Biology and Host Specificity 2,3
- 1 September 1976
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Annals of the Entomological Society of America
- Vol. 69 (5) , 830-834
- https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/69.5.830
Abstract
Adult Neohydronomus pulchellus Hustache feed on the leaves of waterlettuce, Pistia stratiotes L., and the larvae feed inside the leaf tissue. Females laid ca. 1 egg/day beneath the leaf epidermis; the eggs hatched in 3–4 days, the larvae required 11–14 days for development, and a generation required 4–6 weeks. The weevil was highly specific to waterlettuce in adult feeding and oviposition tests and was very destructive to waterlettuce plants in the laboratory. In the field, maximum damage was caused to waterlettuce in midsummer (January–February) when peak populations of 250 to 600 adults/m2 produced 1.6 feeding spots/cm2 of leaf surface. Neohydronomus pulchellus is a very promising candidate for introduction into the United States or other countries to control waterlettuce.Keywords
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