Food Preferences of the Rubber Plantation Litter Beetle, Luprops tristis, a Nuisance Pest in Rubber Tree Plantations

Massive invasion of the litter dwelling beetle, Luprops tristis Fabricius (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), numbering about 0.5 to 4 million per residential building following summer showers, and their prolonged stay in a state of dormancy, make them an extreme nuisance in rubber tree plantation belts of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of insect science (Tucson, Ariz.) Ariz.), 2009-12, Vol.9 (72), p.1-5
Main Authors: Sabu, Thomas K., Vinod, K.V.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abundance
Animals
Coleoptera
Coleoptera - growth & development
Coleoptera - physiology
dormancy
Feeding Behavior
feeding preference
Food Preferences
Hevea - growth & development
Hevea brasiliensis
home invasion
Kerela
Larva - physiology
leaf fall
leafage
Mupli
Plant Leaves - growth & development
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Summary:Massive invasion of the litter dwelling beetle, Luprops tristis Fabricius (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), numbering about 0.5 to 4 million per residential building following summer showers, and their prolonged stay in a state of dormancy, make them an extreme nuisance in rubber tree plantation belts of the Western Ghats in south India. Food preference of post-dormancy adults, larvae and teneral adults stages towards tender, mature and senescent leaves were assessed in three choice and no choice leaf disc tests. All stages have strong preference towards fallen tender leaves and lowest preference towards senescent leaves indicating that leaf age is a major attribute determining food selection and food preference of L. tristis. Ready availability of the preferred, prematurely fallen, tender rubber tree leaves as a food resource is suggested as being responsible for the exceptionally high abundance of L. tristis in rubber tree plantation belts.
ISSN:1536-2442
1536-2442
DOI:10.1673/031.009.7201