On the food preferences and application of Dyar’s rule to different hopper instars ofAcrida exaltataWalker (Orthoptera: Acrididae)

Abstract

This paper is aimed at comparing the influence of diet, effect of crowding and temperature on the growth of larval stages in a pest grasshopper Acrida exaltata Walker (Orthoptera: Acrididae). It was found that Brassica oleracea var. botrytis was mostly preferred by both sexes with the minimum hopper developmental period of 33.20 ± 0.54 days in males and 38.40 ± 0.98 days in females, while Saccharum officinarum prolonged the hopper developmental period with the maximum development period being 79.30 ± 0.37 days in males and 88.50 ± 0.23 days in females. Similarly, the maximum development of hoppers was 3.03 ± 0.03%/day in males and 2.64 ± 0.05%/day in females feeding on Brassica oleracea var. botrytis. The minimum development of hoppers was observed to be 1.26 ± 0.06%/day in males and 1.14 ± 0.02%/day in females feeding on Saccharum officinarum. The Dyar’s rule was tested in the hoppers of acridid species, Acrida exaltata, using two size variables: head width and growth in nymphal instars. The rule which w...