TITLE:
Biological Cycle of Bug Pseudotheraptus devastans Distant (Heteroptera: Coreidae), the Coconut Pest in Côte d’Ivoire
AUTHORS:
Franceline Doh, Koffi Yoboue, Blanchard Eric Zadjehi Koffi, Auguste Emmanuel Issali, Kouassi Allou, Mamadou Dagnogo
KEYWORDS:
Coreid, Life Cycle, Rearing, Nymph, Coconut Pest
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Entomology,
Vol.4 No.1,
January
14,
2016
ABSTRACT: Pseudotheraptus devastans Distant (Heteroptera: Coreidae), is an important coconut pest in C?te d’Ivoire. The stings from Nymph and adult cause not only the falling of immature nuts, but also their deformation. This triggers losses of production in the order can reach 80%. Little information is available about this pest. Those existing are limited to its ecology and damages caused in host-plants. The present investigation is aimed to study the life cycle of this pest. The experiment was carried out in a coconut field of the Marc Delorme Coconut Research Station (MDCRS). On these coconut palms, bunches between 3 and 4 months of age, enclosed in cage were used. Development duration from an egg to adult emergence averaged 28.26 days. The average incubation period was on average 6.63 days and fertility rate of eggs was 98.01%. Nymphal development period was 21.63 days. The sex-ratio is in favour of females which live 112.6 ± 13.45 days. These females laid on average 198.85 ± 36.05 eggs. The males lived on average 131.3 ± 17.7 days. The knowledge of these different parameters could allow the development of a control method based on the breaking of life cycle of this pest.