Teleonemia scrupulosa Stal

Teleonemia scrupulosa is naturally distributed in Central and South America, the extreme southern United States, and the West Indies. Both nymphs and adults feed in colonies on the under surface of the leaves and on tender growing tips of stems and branches. The attacked plants show chlorotic and necrotic lesions, excreta soiled plant surfaces and leaf malformation, curling and abscission. The attacked plant may not die but due to continued desaping, vigour and growth of the plant is affected and it is turned into a bush which in uncultivated land or forest hardly creates any problem rather it may be helpful in many areas to check the soil erosion.

Potted plants of lantana (garden variety) are placed in laboratory cages and exposed to a set of mated females of lantana bug Teleonemia scrupulosa. The lantana bug female starts laying eggs 24 hrs after emergence, eggs are inserted on the underside of the tender leaves, 48-60 eggs are laid during the life span of 15-35 days, eggs hatch in 4-6 days and 4-5 nymphal instars are completed in 12-22 days. Every day the infested potted plants are then placed in large field cages (4 x 2 x 2 meters). Depending upon the number of lantana bugs required the number of pots exposed to female T. scrupulosa are regulated so also the number of field cages based on requirement.