| Summary: | The protease inhibitor (PI) benzamidine may be an option for protecting introduced Myrtaceae plants from insect pests. The foraging behavior of the larvae (number of larvae per plant) and oviposition (number of egg masses per plant and eggs per mass) of Thyrinteina leucoceraea (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) females were evaluated on an introduced Myrtaceae (Eucalyptus grandis) and a native one (Psidium guajava), both sprayed by the PI benzamidine in aqueous concentrations of 0.000, 0.125, 0.250, 0.375, and 0.500 mol. L–1 and with the adhesive spreader Triton X-100 at 0.01 % (mg. mL–1) in water as a control. The foraging preference by T. leucoceraea was similar between the different concentrations of the PI benzamidine on the treated host plants and the control. The numbers of egg masses per plant and eggs per mass of T. leucoceraea were similar between the treatments, but this insect showed slighter oviposition preference on non-sprayed E. grandis plants than on those of P. guajava sprayed with different concentrations of the inhibitor PI benzamidine. Similar foraging of larvae among treated plants and the lower reproduction of T. leucoceraea on treated E. grandis plants, show possibilities of using the PI benzamidine in the management programs of this herbivore, in this culture.
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