Trophic Relationship, Annual Cycle, Seasonal Diapause and Pest Potentiality of Alfalfa Weevil, Hypera postica Gyll. (Hyperinae: Curculionidae: Coleoptera)

Main feature of the biology of Hypera postica has been studied in Chandigarh area and the findings have been compared with other reports on this species from India and different parts of the globe. It seems that the beetle attacks the fodder plants of genera Medicago, Trifolium, Melilotus and Vicia, belonging to family Fabacae but also shifts to other actual and transitory hosts in different regions. The larvae are ectophagous feeding on terminal leaves before pupating in a reticulate cocoon. The young beetle is characterized by summer diapause along with overwintering in colder regions. It passes through one to three generations in the course of the year. It has a variable status as pest of pasture crops as it causes minor to major damage in different parts of the world.