Life cycle of the cotton mealybug Phenacoccus solenopsis in shoe flower plants under the Laboratory conditions

Abstract

The cotton mealybug Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley (1989) is one of the invasive species recently introduced to Sri Lanka and nowadays it is wide spread among various parts of the country. The life cycle of P.solenopsis was studied under the laboratory conditions using Hibiscus rosa-sinenesis (Shoeflower) as host plant. This paper describes the lifecycle and discusses about the reproductive parameters of P.solenopsis under laboratory conditions relative to the appearance of symptoms on the host plant and the importance of making management interventions during the effective reproductive period of the insect.