Biological aspects of Carmenta foraseminis (Busck) Eichlin (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae)

Abstract

This study characterized the biology of Carmenta foraseminis (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) on cocoa and elucidated its life cycle under controlled conditions. Field observations were conducted in infested plantations in Juanjui, Rumisapa, and Tabalosos (San Martín, Peru). To determine the life cycle, 78 eggs collected from cocoa pods were used; newly hatched larvae were reared individually on a modified Anticarsia gemmatalis artificial diet. Larval instars were determined by measuring head‑capsule width. Adults were diurnal; females oviposited mainly between 11:00 and 14:00 h on pods at 3–5 months of development. The mean number of eggs per pod was 8.50 ± 2.9. In the field, no adult feeding, courtship, or copulation was observed. At 25 ± 1°C, 71 ± 1% RH, and a 14L:10D photoperiod, the egg‑to‑adult developmental time was 56.35 ± 2.7 days. Egg incubation lasted 7.58 ± 0.51 days. The larva had five instars with mean durations of 5.15 ± 0.36, 5.03 ± 0.19, 6.06 ± 0.23, 5.12 ± 0.33, and 13.18 ± 0.41 days; the pupal stage lasted 14.23 ± 0.60 days. Adult emergence occurred from 09:00 to 11:00 h; adult longevity in captivity was 5.31 ± 0.48 days with a 1:1 sex ratio. These baseline parameters support artificial‑diet rearing and provide a foundation for management research, including biological‑control assays.