Life cycle and mating behavior of the sugarcane longhorn beetle, Dorysthenes buqueti (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)
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Abstract
The sugarcane longhorn beetle (Dorysthenes buqueti) is an important insect pest in sugarcane-growing regions of Thailand. The larval stage feeds on and damages both the roots and stems of sugarcane plants. A study of the life cycle of D. buqueti under laboratory conditions revealed that this species undergoes complete metamorphosis, consisting of four developmental stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The egg stage lasted 14 – 30 (21.4 ± 5.78) days, while the larval stage was the longest, lasting 294 – 513 days. The pupal stage lasted 8 – 13 (10.4 ± 2.28) days, and the adult stage lasted 10 – 14 (12.0 ± 1.57) days. Understanding the mating behavior of D. buqueti is critically important, as it directly affects oviposition and population expansion. Observations of mating behavior under laboratory conditions revealed that the mating process of D. buqueti could be divided into four stages: mounting, attempted copulation, copulation, and post-copulatory guarding. The mating success rate was 25% (9 out of 36 pairs), while unsuccessful mating occurred in 75% of pairs (27 out of 36 pairs). Females that successfully mated began ovipositing in soil within 2 – 3 hours after copulation, laying 100–500 (309.75 ± 148.51) eggs/female over a period of 3–6 (4.5 ± 1.11) days. Laboratory studies on mating behavior are essential, as observing such behavior under natural conditions is extremely difficult. The biological data obtained from this study provide a valuable foundation for developing more effective management strategies for D. buqueti in the future.
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