Abstract

During the recent years Diorhabda lusca has been noticed as a serious pest of Celtis australis foliage throughout Himachal Pradesh. In view the economic importance of the pest, studies on its biology and behavior were carried out during 1989-90. Observations revealed that overwintering adults became active in March-April. Female beetles laid whitish eggs in batches of 10-28 in number along the mid-ribs on the ventral surface of leaves in three to four broods from April onwards. There were three larval instars and the average larval period ranged from 19.8 to 22.8 days. Pupation which took place in the soil lasted for 5-7 days. Adults were brownish grey, females being brighter and bigger than the males. Detailed account of its biology and behavior have been discussed in the text.

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