Distribution of teak skeletoniser Paliga damastesalis Walker in a young teak Tectona grandis planting

Lim, Wui Oi

Abstract

The within-tree distribution of the pupae and larval stages of Paliga damastesalis Walker was studied on young 6-12 month old teak Tectona grandis L. at two different sites outside outbreak periods in the year 2000. At each site, trees below 1.8 m in height with at least four nodes were inspected thoroughly for the presence of larvae or pupae. The larvae were strongly associated with leaves of the upper nodes, which were comparatively younger than those of the lower nodes, indicating that the larvae preferred and actively sought to consume younger leaves. More than 60% of the larvae were found on leaves between the second and fourth nodes. However, oviposition behaviour could have also influenced the larval distribution since the larvae completed their development not far from where the eggs were oviposited. A skewed sex ratio with adult males consistently not exceeding 3.5% of the samples was reported. Keywords Distribution, oviposition behaviour, Paliga damastesalis, Tectona grandis

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