Natural history of Javetapallida Baly, 1858 on Phoenix palms in India (Chrysomelidae, Cassidinae, Coelaenomenoderini)

摘要

Members of the Old World hispine tribe, Coelaenomenoderini, are documented on host plants of Arecaceae, Cyperaceae, and Zingiberales. A few species are renowned pests of oil palm, especially in Africa. The host plants and natural history of Javetapallida Baly, 1858, the only Indian species of the tribe, is reported for the first time. These beetles can densely infest indigenous wild date palms, Phoenixsylvestris (L.) Roxb. (Arecaceae), and also use the introduced date palm, Phoenixdactylifera L., which is an expanding crop in India. Javeta females lay single eggs and cover each with an ootheca. All larval stages mine the leaves and pupation occurs within the larval mine. Adults are exophagous, leaving linear feeding trenches. Natural and induced infestations of Javetapallida on these two palms were observed and the potential of Javetapallida as a pest of date palm in India is discussed. Javetapallida completed development on Phoenix palms in 52?￠????88 days (mean 66.38 days) with egg period 11?￠????15 days (mean 12.8 days), larval period 21?￠????54 days (mean 33.02 days) and pupal period 17?￠????23 days (mean 20.52 days). Elasmuslongiventris Verma and Hayat and Pediobiusimbreus Walker (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) parasitize the larva and pupa of Javetapallida.