Blooms of Hawaii's banana poka, Passiflora tripartita var. tripartita, grown at Ipiales, Colombia were found suitable for the completion of the life cycle of the fly Zapriothrica sp. The tubular flowers were an ideal habitat for the mating and reproduction of this minute Andean fly. Oviposition occurred only on immature flowers 30‐20 days from bud opening. Eggs hatched 10–13 days after oviposition. Larvae averaged 1.3 × 0.3 mm at hatching, and 15 days after hatching at the end of the third larva instar averaged 5.2 × 1.0 mm. The light‐brown pupa averaged 3.6 × 1.3 mm and required 40–45 days for completion of this stage. Adult flies averaged 5.1 × 1.3 mm and their life span was 7–10 days in captivity and 5–8 days in field cages. Mating was inside the flower tube and a minimum of five pairs of adults were required for copulation. Other Passiflora spp. of high elevation with tubular flowers were host of the insect. However, campanulate flowers, e.g., P. edulis, P. ligularis, and P. alnifolia did not elicit any response whatsoever for feeding, aggregation, mating or oviposition. The dropping of immature flower‐buds caused by this insect in P. tripartita v. mollissima and P. tripartita v. tripartita was 60–80% in Colombian and Ecuadorian curuba farms with high pest populations.
The life cycle of the moth C. necyria was studied in Ipiales, Colombia, under field and laboratory conditions on mature Hawaii's "banana poka", Pussifloru tri urtitu var. tripurtitu plants. Mean development time from egg to adult was 101.5 days under {eld conditions and temperature of 10-22"C, and 154.5 days under laboratory conditions and temperature of 618°C. Mating occurred in the first 7 days after emergence, and the first oviposition was recorded on the 7th day after emergence. Eggs were deposited in clusters on the underside of well-developed leaves, usual1 in the middle of the vine. The first and second-instar larvae fed gregariously starting at the lea? margin. The larvae dispersed and became solitary feeders during the third and fourth instars. The silken cocoon spun by the prepupa was thin-netted, and was commonly found attached within crevices of the trellis' posts or enclosed in a folded leaf. Field-collected larvae and pupae were found to be parasitized by 2 insect species belonging to the Ichneumonidae.
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