Abstract

The chemical composition of Lantana camara essential oil (EO), its insecticidal activities, and its impact on some biological parameters of the oriental latrine blowfly Chrysomya megacephala was assessed. The chemical composition of the tested EO was analyzed by gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy. Totally, 58 compounds corresponding to 99.8% of the total oil were identified, and major constituents of EO were α-pinene (15.3%), caryophyllene (15.28%), eucalyptol (7.8%), camphene (6.05%), caryophyllene oxide (5.33%), β-pinene (4.8%), and geranyl acetate (4.3%), citral (1.36%), α-terpineol (1.23%), tricyclene (0.613%), and linalool (0.62%). The dip toxicity test against the larvae of C. megacephala resulted in the disruption of metamorphosis, leading to developmental deformities, reduced pupariation rate, and inhibition of adult emergence. Lantana camara EO also resulted in larval and pupal toxicity, abnormal pupariation, non-viable pupal-adult intermediates production, and adultoid formation. Our result manifests that this Eo is acting as a juvenoid. This work supports the use of biological control methods for the control of medico-veterinary important insects.

Key words: Chrysomya megacephala, veterinary, medicinal plant, Lantana camara, GC-MS, Eucalyptol.