Question

Life stages of male Laccifer lacca are:
(A) Egg
(B) Larva
(C) Pupa
(D) Adult
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

• A. (A), (B) and (C) only
• B. (B), (C) and (D) only
• C. (A), (C) and (D) only
• D. (A), (B), (C) and (D)

Hint:

Male lac insects are rare (1:1000 sex ratio) - most larvae develop into sessile females.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Male lac insect life cycle:
Egg: Laid by female
Larva:
Mobile crawler stage
Settles to feed
Pupa:
Non
feeding transitional stage
Adult:
Short
lived winged form
Dies after mating

Answer 2

Comparative approach:
Lac insects show a striking sexual difference in their development. Females are neosclerotic and never pupate, passing directly from the crawler (larval) stage to the sessile adult, so their life cycle has only three stages. Males, however, undergo a complete developmental sequence: they hatch from the egg, pass through mobile and settled larval instars, then enter a non-feeding pupal stage inside a test, before finally emerging as a short-lived winged adult that dies soon after mating.
Because the question specifically asks about the male life cycle, all four stages, egg, larva, pupa and adult, are present.