647 Vol. 51, n. 4 : pp.647-653, July-Aug 2008 BRAZILIAN ARCHIVES OF ISSN 1516-8913 Printed in Brazil BIOLOGY AND TECHNOLOGY AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL Biology and Thermal Requirements of Utetheisa ornatrix (L.) (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae) Reared on Artificial Diet André Gustavo Corrêa Signoretti 1, Dori Edson Nava 2*, José Maurício Simões Bento 1 and José Roberto Postali Parra 1 1Departamento de Entomologia, Fitopatologia e Zoologia Agrícola; Escola Superior de Agricultura "Luiz de Queiroz"; Universidade de São Paulo; 13418-310; Piracicaba - SP - Brasil. 2Embrapa Clima Temperado;
[email protected]; 96001-970; Pelotas - RS - Brasil ABSTRACT A study on the biology of Utetheisa ornatrix reared on the artificial diet, was conducted to determine the thermal requirements in each development stage. The aim was to find out the thermal regions in the São Paulo state where the pest could develop on Crotalaria spp. The insects were reared on an artificial diet based on the white beans and yeast. U. ornatrix thermal requirements were tested at 18, 20, 22, 25, 28, 30, and 32ºC 70±20% RH, and 14-h photophase. Lower threshold temperatures (TT) and thermal constants (K) for the egg, larval and pupal stages were 12.7ºC and 51.2 GDD, 13.5ºC and 290.9 GDD, 13.8ºC and 108.4 GDD, respectively; TT and K values for the biological cycle were 13.8ºC and 436.3 GDD. Key words: Crotalaria , Rattlebox moth, rearing technique INTRODUCTION In the past few years, the area planted to the crotalaria has increased significantly, reaching The Rattlebox moth, Utetheisa ornatrix (L., 1758) about 3,000 ha in Brazil (José Aparecido Donizete (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae), is considered to be the Cardoso, personal comunication).