| Gonioctena tredecimmaculata (Jacoby) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) was sent from China to the United States for testing as a potential biological control agent of kudzu [Pueraria montana var. lobata (Willd.) Maesen & S. Almeida]. In a quarantine facility, females kept on kudzu produced 2-4 larvae per day by ovoviviparous reproduction during most of the summer. Insect development was rapid, with larval and pupal stages taking 5.6 +/- 0.08 and 9.6 +/- 0.13 days at 25°C, respectively. Larvae consumed a total of 16.3 +/- 0.63 cm2, while adult beetles consumed approximately 5 cm2 of kudzu foliage per day. Newly emerged adults fed on foliage for approximately 15 days before digging into the soil for an apparent obligate diapause. These beetles mated and reproduced the following spring.;This work suggests that, despite significant differences in plant traits, greenhouse-grown foliage may be acceptable for use in host specificity testing. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
