Characteristics of the Larval Development of the Rice Stem Borer, Chilo suppressalis WALKER(Lepidoptera:Crambidae)in the Ebro Delta(Northeastern Spain)

The larval development in the first and the second generation of Chilo suppressalis from the rice fields of the Ebro Delta was characterized by the number of larval instars and their mean duration. The results showed clear differences between the two generations: larvae of the first generation tended to undergo higher number of molts and to develop more slowly than did larvae of the second generation. The air temperature was probably the most important environmental parameter to cause such differences.