Biology of Anicla infecta (Ochsenheimer, 1816) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Noctuinae), under laboratory conditions.

Larvae of Anicla infecta (Ochsenheimer, 1816) (Noctuidae) feed upon many grasses and may be harmful to cereals and fodder of economic importance. This study was developed aiming to contribute to knowledge of the biology of this species. The rearing was done in an environmental chamber with the following settings: temperature of 25 +/- 1 degrees C; relative humidity of 70% +/- 10%, and photoperiod of L14:D10. The larvae fed on ryegrass, Lolium multiflorum Lam. The results express the mean and standard error for the length of every stage in days. For each stage we observed the following time of development: egg 3.2 +/- 0.09; larvae 18.7 +/- 0.07; pre-pupae 3.3 +/- 0.04; pupae 12.6 +/- 0.14; and adult longevity was 12.1 +/- 1.03. Also the pre-egg-laying period was 4.4 +/- 0.59; the egg-laying period was 8.1 +/- 0.84; and the post-egg-laying period was 0.3 +/- 0.14. The mean number of egg-laying cycles per female was 6.7 +/- 0.73; that of eggs per cycle was 77.5 +/- 4.37; and total eggs per female was 521.4 +/- 47.36.