Life Cycle and Damage Patterns of Tea Mosquito Bug (Helopeltis theivora Waterhouse), a Newly Recorded Pest on Arabica coff ee in Northern Thailand

Abstract

The symptoms of “shot hole leaves” and “excess bud growth” in Arabica coffee have signifi cantly increased in northern Thailand since 2017, resulting in the death of shoots and reduced fl owering, ultimately leading to yield loss. This study investigates whether the “shot hole leaves” symptom is caused by the tea mosquito bug (Helopeltis theivora Waterhouse) (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae) by rearing tea mosquito bugs with coffee and reproducing the same symptoms under laboratory conditions. Furthermore, we examine whether the “shot hole leaves” symptom is associated with the “excess bud growth” symptom in the fi eld. Our results show that H. theivora can complete their life cycle on Arabica coffee trees. Female bugs lay an average of 87.60±41.82 eggs underneath the soft tissue near young leaves on coffee branches, with a hatching rate of 73.97±6.69%, and an average incubation period of 8.20±0.97 days. The longevity of the fi rst to fi fth nymphal stages was 4.02±1.58, 3.36±0.93, 3.27±0.74, 3.23±0.96, and 3.83±1.18 days, respectively. The adult bugs had a lifespan ranging from 2 to 24 days, with an average of 11.61±7.89 days. The “shot hole leaves” symptom appear approximately 14 days after H. theivora begin feeding on young coffee shoots. We found that the bud number is signifi cantly higher on twigs with the symptom, indicating that both symptoms are caused by H. theivora. The study concludes by discussing control practices of H. theivora on coffee trees.