Feeding preference of Chlosyne lacinia saundersii Doubleday & Hewitson, 1849 among sunflower varieties

The feeding preference of Chlosyne lacinia saundersii Doubleday & Hewitson, 1849 (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in eighteen sunflower varieties was investigated in two experiments under field conditions, at Campinas, State of São Paulo, Brazil. Varietal differences were evaluated by visually estimating the percentage of foliar area eaten by the caterpillars. The results showed that the variety Conti GH-8121 had the highest percentage of defoliation (57.8%) and, the varieties Cargill 33 (20.0%) and Estanzuella 75 (19.0%), the lowest.