Morphometry of life stages and adult food preference of fruit piercing moth Eudocima spp. (Lepidoptera:Noctuidae)

The primary fruit piercing moths of genus Eudocima and Rhytia cause havoc to many fruit crops. The studies on morphometry of life stages and adult food preference of Eudocima materna (Linnaeus, 1767) and Eudocima phalonia (Clerk) will help to investigate the vulnerable stages of the life cycle to formulate the management practices. The studies were carried out in the laboratory at room temperature of 25 0 C±2. The larvae of both species are fed with leaves of Tinospora cordifolia (Giloy) where whereas adult feeds ripening fruits. Eggs hatching were observed at night hours and in the early morning and hatching completes in 3.42±0.30 and 3.27±0.15 days respectively for E. materna and E. phalonia. In both species, five and six instars were observed. The instarwise (5 instars) mean head capsule width of male larva of E. materna measured 0.52±0.01, 0.95±0.02, 1.55±0.04, 2.62±0.14 and 4.23±0.03 mm, respectively and in female it was 0.51±0.02, 0.96±0.04, 1.49±0.03, 2.37±0.05, 4.16±0.05 mm, whereas the male and female larva with six instars recorded 0.51±0.01, 0.97±0.04, 1.51±0.06, 2.17±0.06, 2.89±0.05, 4.33±0.06 mm and 0.50±0.01, 0.96±0.03, 1.46±0.04, 2.23±0.09, 2.90±0.0 and 4.20±0.0 mm respectively. Similarly, mean body length of the male larvae of E. materna had five and six instars recorded 6.94, 12.16, 23.40, 43.70, 68.10 mm and 7.27, 10.32, 17.25, 25.75, 47.89, 74.86 mm, respectively. Likewise, the females having five and six instars measured 7.08, 13.62, 22.65, 40.75, 70.85 mm and 6.95, 11.0, 19.40, 26.6, 45.5, 72.0 mm, respectively. Increased larval width was noticed from 4-6 larval instars in both the sexes of E. materna. The mean length of the pupa developed from five and six instars ranged from 30.96 – 32.0 mm. The instarwise (5 instars) mean head capsule width of the male and female larva of E. phalonia was 0.56, 1.09, 1.86, 2.97, 4.35 mm and 0.56, 1.14, 1.95, 3.12 and 4.44 mm, respectively whereas the larva undergoing six instars were 0.55, 0.96, 1.63, 2.42, 3.69, 4.55 mm and 0.56, 0.96, 1.56, 2.53, 3.71, 4.67 mm, respectively. Similarly, the mean body length of male larvae had five instars was 6.72, 14.48, 27.14, 46.0 and 83.17 mm and in the female it was 6.57, 14.42, 26.15, 49.3, and 83.27 mm whereas in male and female larvae had six instars was 7.0, 13.6, 22.8, 33.14, 45.5, 82.33 mm and 6.73, 14.16, 25.06, 33.43, 46.5, 82.66 mm, respectively. As that of E. materna increased larval width was noticed from 4-6 th instars. The mean length of the pupae ranged from 33.70–34.40 mm. The adult feeding preference in descending order during first and second season of E. materna was guava > apple > mandarin > grapes > banana > tomato > pomegranate > brinjal and guava > apple > grapes > mandarin > pomegranate > banana > tomato > brinjal respectively whereas in E. phalonia its was guava > mandarin > apple > grapes > pomegranate > tomato > banana > brinjal and guava > mandarin > apple > grapes > pomegranate > tomato > banana > brinjal etc.