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Contarinia lentis Aczel
Insecta, Diptera, Cecidomyiidae, .

Lentil flower midge

Description, Biology, Life Cycle, Damage, Common Names, Images

[R]Description
- Adult: male, 1.4 to 1.5 mm long; female (*) about 1.7 to 1.8 mm long; dark grey coloration mingled with pale yellow.
- Egg: 0.3 mm long, white.
- Larva: pale yellow, 1.5 to 2.0 mm long.
- Pupa: yellowish, in a 2 mm long cocoon spun in the ground.

[R]Biology
This midge is specific to lentil.
- Egg: short embryonic development of 2 to 3 days.
- Larva: development lasts 20 days. Each attacked flower contains several larvae, each developing in the floral cavity, inside a gall (*) . When fully grown, larvae leave the gall, descend into the ground wher each spins a cocoon in which to remain in diapause until the next spring.

[R]Life Cycle
- 1 annual generation.
- Pupa: formed during the month of May.
- The adults emerge at intervals over about 15 days. At the end of May and at the beginning of June, the female introduces her ovipositor into the very young flower buds, before the petals have acquired their papilionaceous structure (*) , and deposits 5 to 10 eggs.

[R]Damage
Externally, the presence of galls (*) leads to an abnormal swelling of the flower buds which remain closed and unable to open (*) .

[R]Common Names
DE: Linsengallmücke ES: Cecidómido de las flores de la lenteja FR: Cécidomyie des fleurs de lentille IT: Cecidomia dei fiori di Lenticchia PT: Cecidomídeo das flores da lentilha GB: Lentil flower midge

[R] Images

  1. Contarinia lentis Aczel (COUTIN R. / OPIE)
    Female at rest
  2. Contarinia lentis Aczel (COUTIN R. / OPIE)
    Sensitive stage of lentil Young flower buds.
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  3. Contarinia lentis Aczel (COUTIN R. / OPIE)
    Damage on lentil Severely attacked lentil crop. Arrow (a) designates a gall and arrow (b) a pod.
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  4. Contarinia lentis Aczel (COUTIN R. / OPIE)
    Damage on lentil Flowers transformed into galls.
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  5. Contarinia lentis Aczel (COUTIN R. / OPIE)
    Larva inside the gall The gall has been cut open to show the deformation of the pod and the larva (arrowed).
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HYPPZ on line : Species (scientific name), Pests (common names), Glossary, Crops.

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