Biology of Mango Leaf Cutting Weevil Deporaus Marginatus Pascoe

The biology of mango leaf cutting weevil (Deporaus marginatus Pascoe), has been studied at Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari (Gujarat) during 2022. Field observations and laboratory studies revealed that adult females laid eggs on young mango leaves by excavating cavities parallel to the midrib using snout. The incubation period was 2.15± 0.37 days. Grubs passed through three instars over a period of 9.30± 0.73 days. Fully grown grubs came out from the leaves to pupate in soil, with average pupal period averaging 8.10± 0.64 days. Adults exhibited sexual dimorphism, with larger female and possessing larger snout. The sex ratio of emerged adults skewed towards females (1:1.50± 0.26). The total life cycle spanned 65.90± 3.91 days for adult females and 54.15± 3.30 days for adult males. Damage included leaf scraping and leaf cutting. Female adults exhibited leaf cutting behaviour after oviposition. The information generated from present study were viz., habitat, egg laying and pupation site. Understanding the behaviour of different life stages and nature of damage will helps to implement preventative and curative measure.