EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE ON DEVELOPMENT OF OTIORRHYNCHUS-SULCATUS (COLEOPTERA, CURCULIONIDAE)

Development of the black vine weevil, Otiorrhynchus sulcatus, was investigated at constant temperatures from 9 to 27 oC. Pre‐adult development was completed in 200 and 130 days at 15 and 24 oC, respectively. Eggs and larvae developed at 27 oC, but no pupation took place at this temperature. The developmental threshold temperatures for eggs, larvae + pre‐pupae and pupae were 6, 2–6 and 12 oC, respectively. Reproductive maturation of females took place at temperatures from 12 to 27 oC, but only a few females became reproductive at 12 oC. Most females at 12 oC, like those at 9 oC, had a short maturation feed, but the ovaries did not develop. The pre‐oviposition period was temperature dependent. The females showed a cyclic oviposition pattern with three peaks. The significance of soil temperatures for the phenology and distribution of O. sulcatus in Norway is discussed. Copyright © 1979, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved