BEETLE BIOLOGICAL CYCLE STUDY Euchroma gigantea L. 1758 (COLEOPTERA: BUPRESTIDA).

Abstract

Belo Horizonte is one of the most wooded cities in the country with 790 squares and over 70 parks. The diversity of tree species contributes ecologically and aesthetically to make the environment healthier, a significant role in the quality of life of the city. However, in 2016 the mining capital was alerted by the GEAR Executive Group of Hazardous Areas - about intense attack of the beetle Euchroma gigantea (Linnaeus, 1758) (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), known as the metallic beetle and considered the largest Brazilian buprestid. This insect develops inside the stem and root of the trees, forming extensive galleries, leading them to destruction and death. It is considered an urban plague in several cities in Brazil. According to the Municipal Environmental Secretariat of Belo Horizonte, was recorded in 2017, the attack of this beetle on another two thousand trees of Pachira aquaticae and Ceiba speciosa, both Malvaceae. The objective of this research is to study the life cycle of the insect in the FPMZB Botanical Garden. This insect has a long life cycle; in laboratory the first result of the cycle was completed with 630 days. Females lay an average of 32 eggs per mass, with 56% viability. The interval between laying and hatching of larvae averages 27 days, ranging from 23 to 41 days. Such data differ from those observed by other authors, where it has a life cycle of 300 days, mass with an average of 10 eggs, period between laying and hatching with an average of 19 days and viability of 72%. The mortality rate of males is higher compared to females. One of the most significant data for research was the verification of a morphological feature that differentiates females from males with the naked eye. With increasing infestations, the continuation of this research is indispensable for insect management and control.