Revista Brasileira de Entomologia (2012) 56, 492-498

Roberta L. dos Santos, Jorge B. Torres, Itillio V.A.F. Pontes, Eduardo M. Barros and Cristina S. Bastos (2012)
The lesser cotton leafworm, Anomis impasta (Guenée) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), in cotton
Revista Brasileira de Entomologia 56 (4), 492-498
Abstract: Anomis impasta (Guenée) is a species that shows remarkable morphological and behavioral similarities with the cotton leafworm Alabama argillacea (Hübner). During two growing cotton seasons, A. impasta was observed feeding on leaves and flower bracts of cotton and monitored. Furthermore, a study was conducted under laboratory conditions to generate biological information about this species with larvae feeding cotton squares and leaves. Larvae fed on cotton squares exhibited delayed development (18.5 ± 0.18 days) and lower pupal weight (140.8 ± 2.26 mg) compared to larvae fed on cotton leaves (14.0 ± 0.07 days and 169.3 ± 2.06 mg). Thus, one generation cycle of A. impasta was obtained by feeding the larvae with cotton leaves. The mean (minimum-maximum) values for the duration of eggs, larvae and pupae were: 3.0 (3-4), 14.8 (14-18), and 9.7 (7-14) days, respectively. The viability of the eggs, larvae, and pupae were 43.7, 98.3, and 94.7%, respectively. Females lived on average 25.2 days (ranging from 15 to 37 days) and produced 869 eggs (from 4 to 1,866 eggs). The successful development and reproduction of A. impasta on cotton, especially, on the cotton leaves, suggest the potential of this species to reach a pest status in cotton. The similarities with A. argillacea, as discussed in this study, can be one of the reasons for low reference to A. impasta in the field. Therefore, the information provided here will allow researchers and growers to distinguish these two cotton defoliators.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
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Database assignments for author(s): Jorge B. Torres, Cristina S. Bastos

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Alabama argillacea	Cotton (Gossypium)	Brazil (NE)
	Anomis impasta	Cotton (Gossypium)	Brazil (NE)