Stephanitis typicus (Distant)

Stephanitis typicus has been recorded on the underside of the leaves of coconut palm, jack tree (Artocarpus integrifolia Linnaeus) and banana in Kayangulam, Kerala and many other coconut/banana growing areas. Apart from causing direct injury by feeding on the leaves, it causes much harm by transmitting the MLO disease of coconut wilt. For multiplication of mirid predator, S. praefectus the multiplication of S. typica on a large scale is the first prerequisite.

The rearing cage consists of an open knobbed, wide-mouthed bell jar kept inverted on a wooden Support. The mouth of the jar is covered with organdy cloth. The opening at the knob is plugged with cotton wool by the side of which coconut leaflet detached from the rachis whose base is dipped in water kept in glass jar placed is introduced below the inverted bell-jar on wooden stand. The greater part of the leaf blade remain inside the bell jar. 200 adults are introduced through the open knob and closed with cloth-cotton plug. The eggs are laid on the undersurface of the leaf-lets. The leaflets are changed for fresh ones daily, the leaves removed of each date are kept separately by dipping their base in the water in a glass bottle. The eggs hatch in 12 days. The hatching nymphs are sorted out daily, labelled and kept on of leaflets potted plants which are covered with wiremesh below.

The nymph matures in four moults which are completed in 13 days. The female lives for about 21 days after a pre-oviposition period of 3-4 days and lays on an average, 72 eggs per day. The male lives 3 days more than female.