Biological Parameters of Argyrotaenia montezumae (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) and Influence of the Oviposition Substrate Color on Fecundity

The leafroller Argyrotaenia montezumae (Walsingham) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) was found feeding on blackberry leaves (Rubus sp.) in three localities of Michoacan, Mexico, for the first time in 2008. Several biological parameters of this insect were assessed under laboratory conditions (25 +/- 2 degrees C, 75 +/- 5% relative humidity, and a photoperiod of 16:8 [L:D] h). The egg, larval (five instars), prepupal, pupal, and adult stages lasted 7.28, 21.62, 3.89, 8.37, and 17.64 d, respectively. Larval growth of A. montezumae followed Dyar's rule, and the growth ratios for the widths between the genae and the distance between the frontal setae of the head were 1.43 and 1.54, respectively. Female and male pupae weighed 33 and 21 +/- 0.56 mg, respectively. The adult sex ratio (percentage of females) was 48%. When females oviposited on the inner walls of a transparent plastic container, the cumulative number of eggs per female over a lifetime was 391, with preoviposition and oviposition periods of 3.5 and 8.1 d, respectively. Peak oviposition activity was recorded when female age ranged from 4 to 8 d (47.35 and 52.12 eggs per female, respectively). The egg hatching percentage was 92.24%. The influence of the oviposition substrate color on the fecundity of A. montezumae was assessed using high-density polyethylene of different colors. The overall number of eggs per female was higher on green (352.5), blue (327.86), and yellow (250.60) substrates than on transparent (192.22) and pink (197.00) substrates.