A note on life cycle of the African melon ladybird, Henosepilachna elaterii (Rossi) (Coleoptera: Coccinelidae)

Ali, A.E.

           Abstract

           The African melon ladybird, Henosepilachna elaterii (Rossi) (Coleoptera: Coccinelidae) is an important insect pest of cucurbits. Most of the damage is done by the larvae on lower surface of the leaves causing sclerotization. H. elaterii is gaining importance in the recent years. The large area grown under cucurbits has stimulated faster development of the pest that resulted in more generations per year. The objective of this study is to determine the life cycle of this insect. The study found that more number of eggs was laid by a single female (87-289). The developmental period from hatching to adult stage was shorter (15-23.5 days) than that reported earlier (28 days) and the whole life cycle was, also, shorter (56.6 days) than that reported earlier (56-63 days).

A note

A note