1Deptt. of Agril. Entomology, Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Pundibari, Cooch Behar, West Bengal - 736 165, India
2Department of Zoololgy, Hooghly Mohsin College, Chinsurah, West Bengal - 712 101, India
PG Department of Zoololgy, Acharya BN Seal College, Cooch Behar, West Bengal -736 101, India
*Corresponding author’s E-mail: supento@gmail.com
Online published on 21 November, 2013.
Larvae of Cricula trifenestrata reared on Bakul showed the highest Consumption Index (CI) during fifth instar (66.19). Approximate digestibility (AD) values of the larvae were highest (67.74%) on Som during first instar. efficiency of conversion of digested food (eCD) and efficiency of conversion of ingested food (ECI) (42.32% and 16.00%, respectively) was highest on Som during fifth instar. Whole larval instars showed the highest ECI and ECD values on Som (18.76% and 48.38% respectively), and the lowest of both values on Bakul (ECI: 15.11% and ECD: 36.54%). The results of nutritional indices indicated that Som was the best suitable host for feeding of C. trifenestrata.
Silk moth, feeding preference, cricula, saturniidae