Actividad reproductiva de <i>Coelomera lanio</i> (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Abstract

The Cecropia spp. (Cecropiaceae) trees are attacked by several insects; among them, Coelomera lanio (Dalman) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). The reproductive behavior of C. lanio was studied under laboratory conditions (12 hour photoperiod, 24.1 ± 0.1 oC and mean relative humidity 67.7 ± 0.6 %), in Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The insects were reared in cages and in Petri dishes and fed leaves of Cecropia pachystachya Trec. Reproductive activity began 5.8 ± 0.2 days after adult emergence and mean copulation time was 2.5 ± 0.1 min. The female began oviposition only after 25.7 ± 0.7 days. Each female laid a mean of 4.7 ± 0.4 times (range 1 - 9). The mean number of eggs per oviposition and female was 129.2 ± 2.4 and 587.4 ± 92.1 respectively, and the time between egg-layings averaged 16.3 ± 0.8 days.