Colombian aromatic herbs have great potential as an export commodity. The genus Copitarsia is considered as an economic and a quarantine pest attacking them. In herbivore insects, host plant choice is made by adults and influenced by host plant quality. There were performed olfactory and feeding tests by using four-arm olfactometer and offering four different aromatic herbs (basil, mint, rosemary, or thyme) to determine the host selection behavior of Copitarsia uncilata Burgos and Leiva. Parameters, such as adult choice, larval weight, and time spent by larva on particular herb were measured. The preferences of adults and immature of C. uncilata varied significantly among the herbs in olfactory and larva feeding tests. The adults showed significantly higher responses to essential oils of basil and rosemary. Higher weight of larva was recorded on mint and basil. Further studies on larval development and longevity of adults on different herbs are necessary.
Host‐plant choice and larval growth in the cinnabar moth: do pyrrolizidine alkaloids play a role?
