Effect of different diet on the survivorship, life cycle, and fecundity of eri silkworm Samia cynthia ricini Boisduval (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae)

Abstract

Abstract Cassava (Euphorbiaceae), castor (Euphorbiaceae), and tropical almond (Combretaceae) have been suggested as three different possible natural diet sources for Samia cynthia ricini (Drury, 1773) (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae), a species of silkworm that is reared in Indonesia because it is able to produce good-quality silk. This research aims to study the effect of the types of diet on the survivorship, development time, and fecundity of S. c. ricini. The research was conducted by giving the three types of diet to S. c. ricini. The survival rate, development time, and adult fecundity were observed. The results showed that S. c. ricini had a high survival rate when fed on cassava and castor. However, S. c. ricini larvae died when fed tropical almond. A significant difference in the total larval development time occurred when S. c. ricini was fed on cassava and castor. Larvae developed more quickly when fed on the castor diet compared to the cassava diet. Moreover, the total development time is also faster when they fed castor. The pupal weight and fecundity of adult female S. c. ricini reared on castor were higher than those of adult females reared on cassava. This study implies that castor is the more suitable diet for S. c. ricini and cassava can be used as an alternate diet.