Notes on Life History of a Sorghum Shoot Fly, Atherigona varia soccata1,2

Abstract

Studies made at Serere Research Station, Uganda, showed that the average development time for Atherigona varia soccata Rond., which infests grain sorghum in East Africa, was 26.9 days. The average durations (and ranges) of the egg, larval and pupal stages were 3.5 (2-5), 13.0 (11.5-14.5) and 10.4 (2.5-17.5) days, respectively. An extended period of quiescence occurred during the last larval instar in some but not all of the insects after they became brownish-yellow. Some adults lived as long as 12 days when they were caged over sorghum seedlings in an insectary