Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 July 2009
In southern Brazil, adults and larvae of the halticine beetle Alagoasa parana Samuelson fed on the foliage and flowers of Lantana tiliaefolia and L. glutinosa (Verbenaceae). The life-cycle of this univoltine species from egg to adult emergence took 80-90 days between October and April. The abundance varied seasonally from four to eight adults per 100 branches. Larvae remained on the foliage during development and pupated in moist, loose, friable soil within a cocoon at the base of the host-plant. Adults overwintered and oviposited in litter at the base of the host-plant. In multiple-choice host- specificity studies in Australia, adults fed lightly on Verbena bonariensis and Clerodendrum speciosissimum (Verbenaceae) and produced minute scars on leaves on unrelated passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus). However, A. parana completed immature development only on L. camara among the 55 plants tested. The potential of A. parana as a biological control agent for L. camara in Australia is discussed.