Resumen

LEON BRITO, Oralys; NAPOLEON VASQUEZ, Luis; LAREZ, Clemente  y  SILVA-ACUNA, Ramón. Biological aspects of Metamasius hemipterus L. (Coleoptera:Curculionidae) in oil palm, Monagas state, Venezuela . Bioagro [online]. 2005, vol.17, n.2, pp.115-118. ISSN 1316-3361.

In orden to studying biological aspects of Metamasius hemipterus L., a research was conducted in the laboratory of entomology of the Universidad de Oriente and in oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq) plantations in The Zamuro, Maturín municipality, Monagas state, Venezuela. The study was initiated with 15 adult couples placed in special recipients (1 couple/recipient) feeding with sugar cane pieces in which the females carried out its oviposition. Daily, this material was observed to register the oviposition date. The material infested with eggs stayed in observation in order to determine the embryonic period duration. For the pupa phase were collected, in field, 20 larvas proximate to pupa, then they were transferred to the laboratory and fed with rachis of the palm leaf until the emergence of adults. The adults obtained in laboratory were maintained with the same diet, from the moment that they emerged until their death. The larval phase duration was determined by differences between the registration of the egg-larva period, obtained in field conditions and the duration of the embryonic period obtanid in laboratory conditions. The population of adults (individual/2leaf/plant) was quantified in the area of cutting of the petiole of the palm leaf, removed for that object. The embryonic phase was completed in 4,1± 0,6 days, the pupa state was 15,3 ± 1,1 days and 73,4 ± 1,7 days for the duration of the adult. On field, the larval phase duration was 42,5 ± 0,7 days. The life cycle average was 135,4 days. In relation to the feeding habit, it was verified that the biggest presence of the insect happened in wound of two days, whith the higgest activity between 10:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

Palabras clave : Stripped grup; life cycle; longevity.