Biology and ecology of fruit piercing moth Eudocima phalonia (L.) in a citrus orchard in Sarawak, Malaysia

The fruit piercing moth (FPM), Eudocima phalonia, is a major citrus pest. Alternation of host plant capability increase their survival and cause insecticides to become ineffective. There is lack of information on the biological and ecological aspect of FPM in Malaysia. This study reports some aspects of the biology and ecology which cover the seasonal population and life cycle of FPM in citrus orchard and in an adjacent secondary forest in the Kuching Division, Sarawak in Malaysia. Cages (0.6 x 0.6 x 0.6 m) with fresh banana bait were hung in both citrus and secondary forest stands to monitor seasonal population while sleeve cages (0.2 x 0.3 m) were used to study its life cycle on an alternate host plant, Bandicoot Berry (Leea indica). Most of the moth was found in the citrus orchard (67%) as compared to the secondary forest (37%).The moth was detected throughout the year with its activity lowest during the wet months (September-March) when fruits were still available, while the highest activity was recorded during the dry months (May-June) which also coincided with the main fruiting season. The alternate host Bandicoot Berry (Leea indica) provided food for the larvae of the FPM in the secondary forest areas. The FPM had four developmental stages on bandicoot berry which included eggs (3 .0 ± 0.1 days), larvae (20.8 ± 1.0 days) and pupal (15.8 ± 0.5 days). The life cycle from eggs to adult emergence took 39.6 ± 2.2 days.