LARVAL BIOLOGY OF ECTOMYELOIS MURISCIS, (PYRALIOAE: PHYCITINAE), A COSTA RICAN FRUIT PARASITE OF HYMENAEA COURBARIL (LEGUMINOSAE: CAESALPINIOIDEAE)

Abstract

Ectomyelois muriscis (Pyralidae: Phycitinae) la rvae mine in the pulp of mature and nearly mature fruits of Hymenaea courb8ril (leguminosae: Caesalpinioideae) in Costa Rica. The moth larvae are often associated with the attack of the seeds by Rhinochenus stigma (Curculionidae) weevil larvae, but do not themselves attack intact seeds. In Santa Rosa National Park (Guanacaste Province, northwestern Costa Rica), £. muriscis does not attack other species of plants and apparently has only one generation a year; it spends the other 10 months of the year as an adult waiting for the next fruit crop to ripen. The comparatively slow exit of £. muriscis adults from fallen H. courbaril fruits may be a re latively recent trait, allowed by the removal of the Pleistocene megafauna.