TITLE:
Some Biology Features of Pempelia spp. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae): An Insect Pest of Jatropha curcas
AUTHORS:
Moumouni Ousséni Sabi-Sabi, Souleymane Nacro
KEYWORDS:
Pempelia spp., Life Cycle, Jatropha curcas, Burkina Faso
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Entomology,
Vol.4 No.4,
August
2,
2016
ABSTRACT: Jatropha curcas L., a biofuel tree, is attacked by several insect pests, including Pempelia spp. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). This insect pest feeds on the stem and the leaves of the plant and can inflict severe damage to the shrub. This is why we studied its biology. Pempelia spp. larvae were collected in J. curcas’ plantations in the Léo, Biéha, Silly and Niabouri communes in the Sissili province of Burkina Faso, West Africa and were bred inside transparent plastic boxes. Immerged adults were separated into boxes after pairing them and were bred until their death. The female deposits its eggs in batches on the apical parts of J. curcas. Newly laid eggs are white pale. The first instar larvae are tiny and white pale or yellow. The 2nd instar larvae have a light green coloration, with longitudinal stripes. The 3rd instar larvae are lightly green with dorsal longitudinal stripes. The 4th instar larvae have a black head and a grey body. The 5th instar larvae have a blackish brown head with a dark reddish or light reddish longitudinal body. The mean duration of an instar is 8 days. The pre-pupa stadium is a period during which the larvae surround themselves with a white web developed from their saliva secretion. The pupa lives within a dark red cocoon. Pempelia spp. adults are grey. Female adults have large abdomen whereas males show a cylindrical and slender abdomen. These findings are the first of their kind reported in Burkina Faso. They are discussed in this paper.