Leucaena psyllid

Biology. The biology and life cycle of H. cubana is reported here with the intent of summarising information (mostly from Showler and Melcher 1995 and CABI 1990) that may be relevant for a better understanding of this pest species. The incubation period for eggs is generally 2 - 5 days. Immature stages grow from the egg through five instars to adulthood in 10 - 20 days. Nymphs feed at first gregariously near the oviposition site and then, more and more solitarily, they colonise and feed on other parts of stems, branches, and petioles of young leaves. Generations are overlapping, and longevity of adults is on average 14.5 days for females and 9.7 days for males. Mating can occur more than once for both males and females (Rauf et al. 1990) and eggs are laid in groups on very young shoots, often covering the whole leaflet. Each female can produce 300 - 500 eggs throughout a lifetime and can lay as many as 60 eggs in one day. Heteropsylla cubana is diurnal, and flight of adults can occur in the morning and afternoon.