The coffee leaf miner, Leucoptera coffeella (Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae): identification of the larval instars and description of male and female genitalia

Abstract

The coffee leaf miner Leucoptera coffeella (Guérin-Mèneville & Perrottet) is a key pest in coffee producing countries. During their development, the larvae feed on the palisade parenchyma of the leaves, forming mines and necrotic areas. As a result, the photosynthetic area of the plant decreases, affecting coffee production. Despite the severity of the damage caused by coffee leaf miner (CLM), morphological aspects of the larval development and the adult genitalia remain unknown. This work presents the first morphological description of the four larval instars and the adult genitalia of L. coffeella. In each larval instar, we measured the Mean ± SD (mm) of the cephalic capsules (1st 0,14±0,03; 2nd 0,25±0,04; 3rd 0,32±0,03; 4th 0,42±0,03) and observed the following morphological details: primary setae, prolegs, crochets and ecdysial line of the cephalic capsule. In the adults, we show how to differentiate adult sexing and observed the sexual structures present in both genitalia: male - bulbus ejaculatorius, valva, gnathos and aedeagus, and female - ovipositor, sclerite and corpus bursae.