Laboratory rearing technique and biology of Mycotretus apicalis (Coleoptera: Erotylidae) on dried Pleurotus sajor-caju mushrooms

mycotretus apicalis is an erotylid beetle that is commonly found in cultivations pleurotus sajor-caju in minas gerais, brazil and could potentially be a pest. the life cycle is studied for the first time by laboratory rearing using dried p. sajor-caju mushrooms as both a feeding resource and an oviposition substrate. m. apicalis species has a generation time of about three weeks, with the egg-adult period was about 22 days, four larval instars, and the average longevity for adults of 89.7 ± 32.89 days. these results suggest that the m. apicalis has a potentially high rate of population increase, indicating its great potential to be a pest insect.