ADULT BIOLOGY OF THE ALBIZIA BORER, <em>XYSTROCERA</em> <em>FESTIVA</em> THOMSON (COLEOPTERA: CERAMBYCIDAE), BASED ON LABORATORY BREEDING, WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO ITS OPPOSITION SCHEDULE

Abstract

Adult survivorship and the oviposition schedule of Xystrocera festiva were studied under laboratory conditions. The average adult longevity after emergence from field collected logs was 9.4 days for males and 4.7 days for females. The species was extremely semelparous, laying eggs altogether in one or two clusters, mostly within two days following emergence. The average number of eggs laid per female was 169.2 and the average egg cluster size was 125.6. It was confirmed by dissection that newly emerged females contained an average of 179.3 fully mature eggs, and total egg production per female, calculated as the sum of eggs laid and those remaining in the ovary until death, was 196.8 on average, both representing fecundity. These values varied considerably among individuals, yet power regression of the fecundity as a function of elytral length accounted for most of the variation.