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Abstract

The   present study deals with   the  quantification of  larval  feeding and   gallery pattern  of  a  single  larva of Hoplocerambyx spinicornis, a severe pest of Sal,  Shorea robusta.  The  larva is  the  destructive  stage.  They bore  into   the   bark and  then  slowly moves inwards  and   upwards through bast and  sapwood. Consumption  and digestion of  wood   by  a  single  larva  showed that the  third  instar larva do  the  maximum damage  to  the  Sal tree as  indicated by  the  size  of frass ejected from the  tree. During  its  life  time  one  larva can  cject 30.19g (dry wt.) of  frass and  fecal   matter. In  view  of  damage, the  bark, bast and   heartwood region are of  major importance as  the  attacks is  more intense in  these  region while   sapwood  region  is  only   a  passage way  where the  larva do  not  stay for too  long.  Thus,  the size  of the  fecal matter is  the  true indicator of  larval instars.

Keywords

Quantification Single larva Gallery pattern Fecal matter

Article Details

How to Cite
Negi, S., & Joshi, V. (2008). Larval feeding and gallery pattern of a single larva of Hoplocerambyx spinicornis, a major pest of Sal, Shorea robusta. Environment Conservation Journal, 9(1&2), 97–100. https://doi.org/10.36953/ECJ.2008.091219

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