CICLO DE VIDA Y FECUNDIDAD DE Dactylopius opuntiae (HEMIPTERA: DACTYLOPIIDAE) EN Opuntia ficus-indica (CARYOPHYLLALES: CACTACEAE).

Dactylopius opuntiae is the most important pest of nopal (Opuntia ficus-indica) in several countries of the world, although its biology has been studied only in Opuntia megacantha. The hypothesis of this study was that the availability of food during the evaluation influences the fecundity of D. opuntiae. The objective was to describe the biology and population parameters of D. opuntiae in O. ficus-indica. The life cycle, fecundity and longevity were evaluated at 25±1 oC and photoperiod of 12:12 h. The incubation period was evaluated in a cohort of 100 eggs, the cycle was described from a cohort of 150 individuals. Individual females were used as experimental unit (n=40 females) to compare fecundity, with or without a source of food. In every case, the experimental design was completely random. The incubation period was 61.78±24 min and represented less than 3 % of the cycle's duration. The nymph I lasted 7.68±1.49 d in females and 8.59±1.54 d in males. The nymph II lasted 9.07±1.98 d in females and 7.74±0.79 d in males; only the males presented a pupal state (8.18±1.05 days). The development of D. opuntiae in O. ficus-indica was completed in 16.78±2.69 d in females and 24.48±2.23 d in males. The fecundity of females with food (established on cladodes) was higher (567.58±164.67 individuals) compared to the females without food (351.25±131.98). This study shows that the fecundity of D. opuntiae is influenced by the availability of food and this condition influences the reproductive capacity of the species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]