A Study of Life Cycle and Ovipositional Behavioral Patterns of the Pomegranate Butterfly, Deudorix (Virachola) isocrates Fabricius in Bhagalpur, Bihar, India
S. Rakesh
Department of Entomology, Bihar Agricultural College, Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur – 813 210, Bihar, India.
Paras Nath
Department of Entomology, Bihar Agricultural College, Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur – 813 210, Bihar, India.
Tarak Nath Goswami *
Department of Entomology, Bihar Agricultural College, Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur – 813 210, Bihar, India.
Chanda Kushwaha
Department of Plant Pathology, Bihar Agricultural College, Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur – 813 210, Bihar, India.
Awdhesh Kumar
Department of SMCA, Bihar Agricultural College, Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur – 813 210, Bihar, India.
Rajesh Kumar
Department of Agronomy, Bihar Agricultural College, Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur – 813 210, Bihar, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The present study examined the life history, developmental biology, morphometry, ovipositional behaviour, and survival of the pomegranate fruit borer, Deudorix isocrates (Fabricius), under laboratory conditions in Bhagalpur, Bihar. Developmental stages were collected from pomegranate orchards at Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, and reared at 27 ± 1 °C and approximately 70% relative humidity during 2025. Observations were recorded on egg-laying site preference, incubation period, larval instars, prepupal and pupal duration, adult longevity, fecundity, survival, and morphometric characters. Females showed a marked preference for oviposition in the calyx cup region of developing fruits, where 64.68% of the total 358 eggs were deposited. Oviposition also occurred on exposed fruit surfaces, flower buds, and other plant or cage surfaces. Eggs were shiny white and dome-shaped, measuring 1.09 ± 0.01 mm in length and 0.54 ± 0.01 mm in diameter. The incubation period ranged from 6 to 9 days, with a mean hatchability of 73.33%. Five larval instars were recorded, and the total larval period ranged from 25 to 39 days, with a mean duration of 29.8 ± 1.35 days. The prepupal and pupal periods had means of 2.9 ± 0.18 and 15.1 ± 0.74 days, respectively. Adult females were larger and lived longer than males, with mean longevity of 24.70 ± 3.49 days compared with 18.30 ± 2.79 days in males. Mean fecundity was 34 eggs per female. The complete life cycle from egg to adult ranged from 45 to 68 days, with a mean duration of 54.9 ± 2.13 days. These observations provide baseline information on the biology of D. isocrates under laboratory conditions and may support stage-specific pest monitoring in pomegranate.
Keywords: Pomegranate fruit borer, Deudorix isocrates (Fabricius), biology, ovipositional behaviour, larval instars, life cycle, morphometry, pomegranate pest management.