Entomologia Croatica, Vol. 12 No. 1, 2008.
Original scientific paper
REDESCRIPTION, POSTEMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT AND BEHAVIOUR OF A HARPACTORINE ASSASSIN BUG Sphedanolestes himalayensis Distant (Hemiptera: Reduviidae)
S. Sam Manohar DAS
; Entomology Research Unit, St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous),Tamil Nadu, India
S.Sivarama KRISHNAN
; Entomology Research Unit, St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous),Tamil Nadu, India
V. JEBASINGH
; Entomology Research Unit, St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous),Tamil Nadu, India
Dunston P. AMBROSE
; Entomology Research Unit, St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous),Tamil Nadu, India
Abstract
A redescription of adult of Sphedanolestes himalayensis Distant is given. The immatures and adults of S. himalayensis were found to inhabit the shrubs of tropical evergreen forests. It lays single, elongate, pale reddish eggs, which adhered to the top of the rearing containers in the laboratory. The average number of eggs laid by a female was 74.8 ± 5.2. Incubation period was 9.6± 0.86 days. The total nymphal developmental period from I to V nymphal instar
was 59.8± 8.6 days. The longevity of the adult female (71.6±3.4 days) was longer than that of the adult male (68.3±6.1 days). The preoviposition and postoviposition periods were 9.8± 0.76 and 4.6±0.03 days. The male and female sex ratio was 0.86: 1. Sequential events of predation and mating conform to those of other harpactorine reduviids.
Keywords
Sphedanolestes himalayensis; assassin bug; redescription; postembryonic development; predation; mating
Hrčak ID:
35327
URI
Publication date:
21.7.2008.
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