Biology and thermal requirements of Utetheisa ornatrix (L.) (Lepidoptera: arctiidae) reared on artificial diet

A study on the biology of Utetheisa ornatrix reared on the artificial diet, was conducted to determine the thermal requirements in each development stage. The aim was to find out the thermal regions in the Sao Paulo state where the pest could develop on Crotalaria spp. The insects were reared on an artificial diet based on the white beans and yeast. U. ornatrix thermal requirements were tested at 18, 20, 22, 25, 28, 30, and 32 degrees C 70 +/- 20% RH, and 14-h photophase. Lower threshold temperatures ( TT) and thermal constants ( K) for the egg, larval and pupal stages were 12.7 degrees C and 51.2 GDD, 13.5 degrees C and 290.9 GDD, 13.8 degrees C and 108.4 GDD, respectively; TT and K values for the biological cycle were 13.8 degrees C and 436.3 GDD.