Biological Control of the Coconut Caterpillar Opisina Arenosella (Lepidoptera: Xylorictidae): Achievements and Prospects

As a serious defoliator of the coconut trees in India, Srilanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar, the blackheaded caterpillar pest of coconut, Opisina arenosella Walker (= Nephantis serinopa Meyrick), has attracted the attention of agricultural scientists right from the beginning of the present century. The pest in its larval stage causes serious damage to the plant, while the adult moth having a short life span is harmless. The first record of this pest in India was from Coimbatore in 1907 on Palmyra plants, while it was first reported on coconut palms from Bapatala, Andhra Pradesh in 1909 (Rao et al., 1948). Often the insect was found to occur in alarming numbers along the coastal belts where the plants are abundant. With increasing cultivation of the crop in unconventional areas, the pest has also been found to occur in new areas, including interior places.