Abstract
Leptopharsa gibbicarina commonly known as the lace bug is a major pest of oil palm involved in the development of pestalotiopsis disease. It is estimated that the complex Pestalotiopsis - Leptopharsa can reduce the production of palm up to 36%. Knowledge on the biology, behavior and mass production of this insect is necessary for the development of biological control studies. For this purpose, a rearing of L. gibbicarina was established in 18 -month old palms from El Copey (Cesar, Colombia), under a shade conditions in an oil plantation and was initiated collecting nymphs in the field. The life cycle was recorded and the population parameters were determined through life tables for seven consecutive generations. Total life cycle was completed in 72.1+11.1 days (27.3+3.8 ^? C;85+15%HR). Duration of stages of L. gibbicarina were as follows: eggs 16±2 days, nymphs 18.9±3.3 days, which underwent five instars, and adult lasted 37.2±5.9 days. The specific mortality rate of each stage (qx) calculated from age - horizontal life table, was: egg 0.22, nymph I: 0.06, nymph II: 0.03, nymph III: 0.01, nymph IV: 0.1; nymph V: 0.14. The net reproductive rate (Ro) was 10.0, the intrinsic growth rate was 0.03 and generation time was 33.2 days. These results are useful to understand the dynamics of populations of this insect in field studies and the development of biological control of L. gibblcarina.
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