title: Lower temperature thresholds for oviposition and egg hatching of the red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), in a Mediterranean climate.
abstract: The red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is an economically important pest of palms worldwide. To better understand the phenology of R. ferrugineus populations in the Mediterranean basin, the objective of the present work has been to estimate the effect of temperatures within the range 10-25°C on the reproductive parameters of R. ferrugineus and to determine its lower temperature thresholds for oviposition and egg hatching. Our results confirm that oviposition in R. ferrugineus is strongly affected by temperature. Lower thresholds for oviposition and egg hatching (15.45° and 13.95°C, respectively) are below the mean monthly temperatures registered in winter in most of the northern shore of the Mediterranean basin. Under these circumstances, new palm infestations would be difficult during most of the winter. These results should be taken into account when planning some palm management practices, such as pruning or pesticide treatments, in areas under a Mediterranean climate.
authors.affiliation: Institut Valencià d'Investigacions Agràries (IVIA), Unitat Associada d'Entomologia Agrícola UJI-IVIA, Departament de Protecció Vegetal i Biotecnologia, Ctra Montcada-Nàquera km 4.5, Montcada, Spain. dembilio@ivia.es
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Dembilio
authors.forename: G V
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Tapia
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Téllez
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Jacas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D028023:Arecaceae; D003080:Cold Temperature; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D007300:Insect Control; D007814:Larva / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D010058:Oviposition; D010063:Ovum / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D012621:Seasons; D013030:Spain; D048889:Weevils / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology