Study on Biology of Rangeeni Strain of Lac Insect, Kerria Manipurensis on Host Plant Malvaviscus penduliflorus Found in Manipur, India

The study on the biology of the Rangeeni strain of lac insect, Kerria manipurensis, on Malvaviscus penduliflorus was conducted at the Regional Field Gene Bank, Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, Iroisemba, CAU, Imphal, during June and July of 2024–2025 to document its life history and developmental durations viz., duration of pre-sexual stages (days), duration of male emergence (days), sex ratio (per cent male insect) and life period of female lac insect (days). The pre-sexual stage duration ranged from 46.56 to 51.73 days, while male emergence lasted 12.11 to 15.91 days. The mean sex ratio varied between 26.03% and 29.10%, and the female life span ranged from 121.67 to 123.88 days. These findings establish baseline biological parameters of K. manipurensis on M. penduliflorus, which may serve as valuable data for future research on lac production, strain improvement, and integrated management strategies in northeastern India.