Red Banded Mango Caterpillar: Evolving as a Destructive Pest in Major Mango Growing District of Bihar and West Bengal

Abstract

At all the stages of bearing of mango, there is attack of several insect and non-insect pests. Red banded caterpillar or Deanolis sublimbalis was the minor pest of mango but very recently emerged as a serious pest all over the world and act as emerging pest in Bhagalpur and Darbhanga district of Bihar. It causes great loss in most of the district of Bihar. The most destructive stage of this pest was larval stage. The red and white alternate bands on the body were the characteristic feature of this pest. This pest attacked the mango fruit from the pea sized till the maturity of the fruit causing boring of the fruits through several tunnels by the larvae. The matured instar larvae reached the seed yet to harden and tunnelled them, excreted inside and exposed the fruits to the secondary infestation by micropathogens. Pupation occurred in the soil inside a brownish cocoon or in the dry twigs of the branches.