Vol. 23 (December 2020) Insect Environment Research Articles Oxygen consumption by Ancylostomia stercorea Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) larvae: effect of temperature and body weight Stanford A. Lawrence and Ayub Khan Department of Life Sciences University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad Corresponding author:
[email protected] Abstract The influence of temperature on the respiration rate of Ancylostomia stercorea larvae was investigated because of modest research on this serious pigeon pea pest in the region. The respiratory rates of 3rd, 4th and 5th instar larvae were assessed at four temperatures 20, 25, 30 and 0 0 35 C. The mean oxygen consumption was greatest at 25 C for all three instars. The highest Q10 values were observed for all three instars at the temperature range 20-300C. There was a negative scaling relationship between oxygen consumption and A. stercorea larval body weight. Keywords: Pigeonpea, Ancylostomia stercorea, oxygen consumption, pod borer Introduction Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) (L) is an important drought tolerant grain legume crop grown in developing countries. The crop is ranked sixth in the world in terms of grain legume production with 5.96 x 106 tonnes produced in 2018 (FAOSTAT 2020). The major pigeon pea producing countries are India, Burma, Uganda and the Dominican Republic. In the Caribbean region the legume is grown mainly under rain fed conditions by small farmers, to whom the crop represents an important source of income. FAOSTAT (2020) ranked Trinidad, Jamaica and Grenada as 16th, 17th and 18th respectively in terms of pigeon pea production worldwide. The pigeon-pea crop is subject to insect attack throughout its growth; however, the most serious economic pests are those which attack the reproductive structures, including flowers, pods and seeds (Shanower et al., 1999; Buckmire 1978).