COMPARATIVE MORTALITY RESPONSES OF 3 TORTRICID (LEPIDOPTERA) SPECIES TO HOT-WATER

Mortality responses to hot water at 39-47 degrees C were determined fo r 1-, 4-, and 7-d-old eggs and 1st, 3rd, and 5th instars of 3 tortrici d pests, the Australian species Epiphyas postvittana (Walker), and 2 s pecies endemic to New Zealand, Ctenopseustis obliquana (Dugdale) and P lanotortrix octo (Walker). E. postvittana was more tolerant to hot wat er than both C. obliquana and P. octo, which responded similarly to ea ch other. The most tolerant life stage of E. postvittana was the 1st i nstar at 41-45 degrees C, whereas 1- and 4-d-old eggs were typically t he most tolerant life stages of C. obliquana and P. octo. At higher te mperatures, all life stages of a particular species displayed similar tolerance to the hot water treatment.