DEVELOPMENT AND SIZE–FECUNDITY RELATIONSHIP OF THE YELLOW LAC SCALE, <em>TACHARDINA</em> <em>AURANTIACA</em> (HEMIPTERA: STERNORRHYNCHA: KERRIIDAE)

Abstract

ONG SP, NEUMANN G, KHAIRUN Y, CHE SALMAH MR & KIRTON LG. 2014. Development and size–fecundity relationship of the yellow lac scale, Tachardina aurantiaca (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Kerriidae). Studies were conducted on the development and reproduction of Tachardina aurantiaca in Peninsular Malaysia. Crawlerproducing females were collected from Acacia auriculiformis (Fabaceae) in Klang and Millettia pinnata (Fabaceae) in Taman Ehsan, Selangor Malaysia. The crawlers were reared on 30–60 cm high plants of an Acacia sp. and 20– 30 cm plants of M. pinnata, raised in 10 cm × 10 cm black polybags. The breeding room was maintained at 27–32 °C, 60–80% relative humidity and a photoperiod of L12:D12. Males required 40.1 to 41.7 days to complete their life cycle from crawler to winged adult, whereas females took 87.6 to 98.3 days. The number of crawlers produced per female increased remarkably with increase in female body size (measured as diameter) with r² = 0.59 (p < 0.05). Larger field-collected females with an average diameter of 3.5 mm produced a mean of 323.6 crawlers per female, whereas laboratory-reared females with a body size of 2.5 mm only produced a mean of 122.6 crawlers per female.