Biology of the flotilla worm Metaponpneumata rogenhoferi Moschler (Lepidoptera: Noctuidea)

Abstract

In the North of Tolima, the flotilla worm Metaponpneuma­ta rogenhoferi Moschler (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), has been an endemic cotton pest since 1960; its morphology and biology have not been studied. A study was conducted to obtain basic information on this species, at the Entomology Laboratory of "Nataima" Regional Center of the Colom­bian Agricultural Institute (ICA) at Espinal, Tolima. The Center has an altitude of 420 m.a.s.l., an average tempera­ture of 30 ± 2°C, and relative humidity between 60 and 70%. Individual observation of larval development per­mited to verify that M. rogenhoferi has polychromatic juvenile forms, such as green, pink, and almost black larvae. At 30 ± 2°C, the mean duration in days of the egg and pupal stages was 2.0 and 9.8, respectively. Larvae passed through five instars; the mean duration in days of each was: 2.1, 2.0, 1.8, 1.7, and 3,9, respectively. The total duration in days, from egg to adult, was 23.4. A 24°/o of the pupae entered diapause, with a duration between 27 and 85 days.