Life History Traits and Damage Potential of an Invasive Pest Acharia fusca (Lepidoptera: Limacodidae) on Oil Palm

Abstract

The development, life history, and fecundity of Acharia fusca Stoll (Lepidoptera: Limacodidae), an important oil palm pest, was studied at various treatments of temperatures ranging from 10 to 40°C, at a constant relative humidity of 75 ± 5% and a photoperiod of 12:12 (L:D) h. In addition, the amount of leaf consumed by larval instars was measured. Females and males successfully developed into adults within 15-35°C. However, no eggs were found at 10°C, and all adults died after exposure to 40°C. The developmental time from egg to adult ranged between 170.5 d at 15°C and 76.6 d at 35°C (Ei 97 = 56.2; P < 0.0001). Tem perature had a strong effect on the survivorship of A. fusca from the egg to adult emergence, increasing between 15 and 20°C, peaked at 25-30°C, and then declined slightly at 35°C. The different periods of the insect's total reproductive life varied betw een 15 and 35°C, with the preoviposition periods ranging betw een 6.82 and 3.24 d, the oviposition period betw een 17.5 and 4.89 d, and the postoviposition period between 5.29 and 0.82 d. Female longevity was greater than male longevity at all temperatures. The total amount of leaf area consumed by one larva was 402.31 cm2. The results indicated that the development period from egg to adult death at the decreased with increasing tem perature and the larvae maintained a high consumption rate on Elaeis guineensis Jacquin leaves. The effect of tem perature on development, survival, and reproduction of A. fusca can be useful for predicting its long-term population fluctuation as an invasive pest of oil palm plantations.

Insecticidal Activity of Bacillus thuringiensis Strains on the Nettle Caterpillar, Euprosterna elaeasa (Lepidoptera: Limacodidae)

“…Efficacy of Bt-strains in field conditions may be due to environmental factors [46], toxins degradation [47], gut microbiota competition [48], and inactivation by the target organism [49]. The lethal effect of Bt and its effectiveness was also studied in other Limacodidae pests under field conditions as a potential biocontrol agent for Acharia apicalis Dyar [50], Acharia fusca Stoll [51], and Parasa lepida Cramer [52]. The results show that Bt-strains have a specific mode of action that affects a high number of E. elaeasa caterpillars.…”

Global Advances on Insect Pest Management Research in Oil Palm

“…The larval stages of these insects adapt to the low nutritive value of oil palm leaves by developing relatively slowly, always for more than a month. For example, larvae of the leaf defoliator Leucothyreus femoratus Burmeister (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) takes 92-113 days to develop [26]; those of Acharia fusca Stoll (Lepidoptera: Limacodidae) take 76-94 days [30]; and those of Metisa plana Walker (Lepidoptera: Psychidae) take 72 days [37]. There are, however, some oil palm defoliators with short larval durations, e.g., Acria meyricki Shashank and Ramamurthy (Lepidoptera: Depressariidae) with approximately 20 days [27].…”

Effects of Insect Growth Regulators on Mortality, Survival, and Feeding of Euprosterna elaeasa (Lepidoptera: Limacodidae) Larvae

“…Additionally, feeding activities of E. elaeasa larvae were implicated in assisting infection of Pestalotiopsis fungal species [3]. In commercial oil palm plantations, defoliation by insects causes up to 50% loss in harvest, by rasping the superficial foliar area or by consuming the parenchymal tissue, drastically reducing plant size, biomass, and palm oil production [4]. In this case, detrimental defoliation caused by E. elaeasa occurs on the top level of the canopy, and the palm trees require at least 3 years to recover the foliar area [2].…”