Author : Songyot Phisitkul

Summary : The groundnut leafminer completed its life cycle in 24-33 days. Eggs were laid on the lower leaf surface of the host plant and usually hatched in three days. Newly emerged larvae constructed mines in the leaves and continuously fed inside until they developed into the 4th instar larvae. However, the 3rd instar larvae were the most destructive. Pupal stage was spent within the leaves for about 3-4 days. Adults emerged in the evening with males coming out first. Mating occurred early morning and was preceded by a simple courtship. Oviposition took place in the evening about 10-14 hours after mating. More eggs were laid during the 2nd day of oviposition but gradually declined in succeeding days. The rate of insect development was affected by temperature and the kind of host plant. development was faster as temperature increased from 25 deg celsius to 30 deg celsius. Moreover, temperature had a greater effect on longevity of adults than food. Insects reared on soybean had a shorter life cycle (21.10 days) than those on ground (23.73 days) and pigeon pea (25.14 days).