Contents - LAC Biosafety

10.17 Tectona grandis (Lamiaceae) 351
Fig. 10.46 Sahyadrassus malabaricus attack is characterized by a conspicuous,
dome-shaped mass of woody particles held together with silk, covering the
tunnel mouth.
saplings were readily rehabilitated on T. orientalis by drilling holes and
introducing the larvae. The larvae deepened the holes, when necessary, to
accommodate their body length and covered the holes with a mat of frass
(Nair, 1987b).
Host range and geographic distribution S. malabaricus is highly polyphagous;
it has been recorded on about 50 plant species belonging to 22 families
(Nair, 1987b). Trees most commonly attacked belong to the families Ulmaceae,
Fabaceae, Mimosaceae and Myrtaceae. As noted above, Trema orientalis (Ulmaceae)
is a favourite host, in which both saplings and trees are infested, whereas
on other hosts only saplings in the girth range of 4–11 cm at base are infested.
Also, multiple infestations are common in T. orientalis; two dozen trees examined
at one place supported an average of 10 larvae per tree. Another common host is
Clerodendrum viscosum (syn. C. infortunatum) (Fabaceae), a shrubby weed prevalent
in open forests. In one instance, out of 27 plants examined (four to seven
centimetres girth at base) 21 were attacked, some harbouring two to three
larvae.