Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies 2016; 4(3): 338-340 E-ISSN: 2320-7078 P-ISSN: 2349-6800 JEZS 2016; 4(3): 338-340 © 2016 JEZS Received: 20-03-2016 Accepted: 21-04-2016 E Arockia Lenin National Institute of Plant Health Management, Hyderabad, Telangana, India S Jesu Rajan National Institute of Plant Health Management, Hyderabad, Telangana, India Biology of predatory bug Eocanthecona furcellata Wolff (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) on Corcyra cephalonica Stainton E Arockia Lenin and S Jesu Rajan Abstract Eocanthecona furcellata (Wolff.) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is an important predator for several agriculturally important pests. The biology of E. furcellata has been done with several insect pests but there is no report on the laboratory host, Corcyra cephalonica (Stainton). Hence, this study is aimed to understand the biology of E. furcellata Wolff. and its role in mass rearing on laboratory reared pest C. cephalonica Stainton. The analyses showed that the total number of eggs of the predatory stink bug was 44±8 days, incubation period 6±1.05days and the life cycle passed through five nymphal instars with a total nymphal period of about 16±0.64days. Male and female longevity were 12±1.05days and 14±1.09days, respectively, and total longivity period for male and female lasted 32±0.19 and 36+1.90days, respectively. Moreover, this study revealed that C. cephalonica could be used as alternative host to mass rear E. furcellata when the main host is not available. Keywords: Biology, predatory sting bug, Eocanthecona furcellata, Corcyra cephalonica 1. Introduction Sustainable agriculture gaining momentum, more emphasis is laid on Integrated Pest Management which includes other components like biological control of the pests of crops by natural enemies. Such types of natural enemies include predators, parasitoids and pathogens. Arthropod predators and parasitoids are the most important naturally occurring biological control agents of insect and mite pests in most of the crop ecosystems [2]. Among the heteropteran predators, Eocanthecona furcellata (Wolff.) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) has received much attention in biological control due to its potential to control lepidopteran, coleopteran and heteropteran insects [3]. In India, E. furcellata had been considered as an important predator on several important lepidopteran pests [6, 8]. This predator can be used as an important biological control agent in integrated pest management programme. Here, the biology and the utility of Corcyra cephalonica as an alternative pest were studied. 2. Materials and Methods This experiment was conducted at National Institute of Plant Health Management (NIPHM), Hyderabad during the period from January to February, 2016. The adult male and female bugs of E. furcellata Wolf were collected from brinjal field of NIPHM, Rajendra Nagar (latitude 78°41’E and 17°33’N), Hyderabad, India. They were maintained in plastic containers (15 x 8 cm) on the head crused larvae of C. cephalonica under the laboratory conditions (temperature32±2 °C, 75±5% relative humidity and 12±1 hrs photoperiod) and containers were covered with muslin cloth for aeration. The adults were kept in a container for mating. The eggs were separated and kept in separate pedri dishes for hatching with wet cotton swabs for maintaining optimum humidity (85%). The cotton swabs were changed periodically in order to prevent fungal attack. Mated females were maintained individually in order to count the number of batches of eggs and number of eggs in each batch laid by them. The bugs were reared in the laboratory for two generations to find out the incubation period, stadial period, nymphal mortality, fecundity, longevity and sex ratio. Correspondence E Arockia Lenin National Institute of Plant Health Management, Hyderabad, Telangana, India 3. Results and Discussion 3.1 Biology of Eocanthecona furcellata on larvae of Corcyra cephalonica The life history of Eocanthecona furcellata was analysed previously using different insect pests [1, 4, 7, 8]. But observations on the biology of E. furcellata on the laboratory reared larvae of C. cephalonica has not yet been analysed. ~ 338 ~ Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies In the present investigation, the biology of E. furcellata on C. cephalonica shows that, the number eggs of 44±8, incubation period of 6±1.05, hatchability rate of 90% and the duration of the first instar nymph was observed to vary from 3-4 days. The duration of second, third, fourth and fifth instar nymphs lasted for 3.7, 4.4, 3.3 and 3.7 days. In addition, Male and female longevity were 12±1.05 and 14 ±1.09 days, respectively. Hence, the total life cycle of the female and male lasted for 32±0.19 and 36+1.90 days, respectively (Table 1). Notably, the variations were observed when compared earlier studies of the biology of E. furcellata on lepidopteran larvae Podenia litura F [5] and Spilarctia obliqua Walk [1, 8]. This may be possibly due to the variation in atmospheric temperatures and geographical differences. Intrestingly, the nymphal instars are good predators than adults. Of which third, fourth, fifth nymphal instars wer feeding more larvae. It is important to note that head crushed larvae should be given to the first and second nymphal instars to avoid webbing of C. cephalonica. Moreover, adults predators have not preferred more larvae than nymphal instars. Hence, C. cephalonica could be used as an alternative host to rear the first, second, third, fourth and fifth nymphal instars than adults of E. furcellata when the main host is not available. Table 1: Biological parameters of Eocanthecona furcellata on Corcyra cephalonica under laboratory conditions (n = 12; X ± SD) Parameters Incubation period I instar II instar III instar IV instar V instar Total nymphal period Total number of eggs Hatchability Male Female Preoviposition period Oviposition period Post Oviposition period Total longivity Male Female Number in days 6±1.05 3±0.85 3±0.76 4±0.48 3±0.35 3±0.79 16±0.64 44±8 90% 12±1.05 14±1.09 4±0.96 9±0.57 5±0.36 32±0.19 36+1.90 Fig 1: Egg mass of Eocanthocona furcellata Fig 3: Second nymphal instars feeding on Corcyra larvae Fig 2: First nymphal instars feeding on Corcyra larvae Fig 4: Third nymphal instars feeding on Corcyra larvae ~ 339 ~ Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies 5. 6. 7. 8. Fig 5: Fourth nymphal instars feeding on Corcyra larvae Fig 6: Fifth nymphal instars feeding on Corcyra larvae Fig 7: Adult female feeding on Corcyra larva 4. Acknowledgments The author is thankful to the National Institute of Plant Health Management (NIPHM) for providing necessary facilities. 5. References 1. Bhadauria VKS, Jakhmola SS, Bhadauria NS. Biology of Canthecona furcellata Wolf. on the larvae of Spilarctia obliqua Wlk. Indian J. Entomology. 1999; 61:196-198. 2. Carson R. Silent spring. Houghton Mifflin, Massachussets, 1962. 3. De clercq P. Prdaceous stink bugs (Pentatomidae: Asopinae). In Heteroptera of Economic Importance, ed. C.W. Shaefer and A. Panizzi, Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. 2000, 737-86. 4. Gallego VC. Biology and mass production of castor semilooper, Achaea janata W. for use as rearing host of Eocanthecona furcellata (Wolff), a predator slug caterpiller. Phillipine Journal of Crop Science. 1998; 23:29. ~ 340 ~ Kapoor KN, Gujarathi JP, Gangrade GA. Cantheconia furcellata as a predator of Prodenia litura F. larva. Indian J Entomology. 1973; 35:275 Pant CP. Some aspects of the bionomics of Earias spp. at Kanpur. Agra. Univ. J Res Sci. 1960; 9(1):31-40. Tabasa MA. Life history and funtional response of the predatory bug, Eocanthecona furcellata (Wolff) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) in relation to its prey Spodoptera litura F. Leguna (Philippines), 1991, 96. Vineet kumar MN, Morrison S, Rajadurai AM, Babu V, Thiyagarajan Datta RK. Studies on the biology and predatory behaviour of Eocanthecona furcellata (Wolff.) predating on Spilarctica obliqua (Walk.) in mulberry plantation. Int. J Indust Entomol. 2001; 2(2):173-180.