Abstract
Massive seasonal invasion by the litter-dwelling beetleLuprops tristis, into residential buildings prior to monsoon rains, and their prolonged state of dormancy render them a very serious nuisance pest in rubber plantations in the Western Ghats in southern India. Feeding preferences ofL. trististowards leaf litter of seven trees co-occurring in rubber plantations, cashew (Anacardium occidentale), mango (Mangifera indica), jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus), wild jack (Artocarpus hirsutus), cocoa (Theobroma cacao), cassia (Cassia fistula), sapota (Manilkara zapota) and rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) were analyzed with no-choice and multiple-choice leaf disc tests. Results showed thatL. tristisis a generalist feeder with a defined pattern of preference, with the leaf litter of rubber being the most preferred followed by those of jackfruit and cocoa. Tender leaves were preferred over mature leaves except for cocoa and sapota. Equal preference towards tender and mature cocoa leaves, presence of patches of cocoa plantations and the scarce distribution of other host plants in rubber plantation belts leads to the proposal that in the absence of tender and mature rubber leaves, cocoa becomes the major host plant ofL. tristis.
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