Rice skipper: Pelopidas mathias
Symptom of damage:
- Edges of the leaves are fastened with webbing
- Backwards rolling of leaves
- Caterpillar feeds from margin to inwards
Identification of insect pest:
- Eggs : are white or pale yellow and spherical. They are pearl-like in appearance.
- Larva: The larval bodies of both species are green. They differ in the coloration on the head. One larva has reddish vertical bands at each lateral side of the head and the other one has brown bands that are closer together and W-shaped. The mature caterpillar measures 50 mm long.
- Pupa: The pupae of both species are light brown or light green. They have pointed ends.
- Adult: The adults of the two species are light brown with orange markings and white spots on the wings. They can be distinguished by the pattern of white spots on the wings. One adult has seven C-shaped white spots on the front wing and four white spots on the hind wing. The other one has four small spherical white spots and two elongated spots on the front wing and the hindwing lacks spots
Management:
- Drain the water and spray chlorpyriphos 20 EC 1250 ml/ha
Source-
- TNAU Agritech Portal
