| Sumario: | In a previous study (Turrialba 20(2).85-93), it was reported that adult Hypsipyla grandella Zeller had a preference for American Meliaceae. However, very little is known about the stimuli that induce H. grandella larvae to feed and develop appropriately.
This study aimed to study the nutritional behavior of H. grandella larvae. Plant material from four Meliaceae species was used as a food source: Cedrela odorata L., Khaya ivorensis A. Cher, Swietenia macrophylla King, and Toona ciliata M. Roem. rai australis (F.M.) CDC, and the non-Meliacea species, Aucoumea klaineana Pierve. It was found that H. grandella larvae also have a preference for the American Meliaceae used in the study
During the course of the research, high mortality was observed in larvae that fed on T. ciliata var australis material, so a series of complementary experiments were initiated to determine if the T. ciliata var australis plant material contains any toxic substances lethal to H. grandella larvae. The results of these experiments confirmed that T. ciliata var australis is toxic to the larvae. There was also evidence that this toxic substance has volatile characteristics, which could explain the lack of oviposition of H. grandella on T. ciliata var australis. It is thought that this characteristic could be used in the future as a basis for the genetic selection of Meliaceae resistant to Hypsipyla spp.
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