Eggplant Lace Bug: Appearance, Territory, Damage and Life

Latin name: Gargaphia Solani

Appearances: Gargaphia solani Heidemann, sometimes known as the eggplant lace bug, is a member of the Hemipteran family Tingidae. The 4 mm (0.16 inch) long adult eggplant lace bugs have a mottled greyish to dark brown appearance.

Host plants: It mostly consumes members of the Solanaceae family of flowering plants, including a variety of Solanum species including tomato, potato, and eggplant as well as species from other genera like Althara, Cassia, Gossypium, and Salvia.

Territory: It can be found in Canada, the US, Mexico, Maryland, and Delaware.

Damage insect caused: A sap-sucking insect known as the eggplant lace bug that feeds on the underside of leaves is regarded as a minor pest. A golden, yellowish tint with little spots and scratches can be seen all over leaves that have been severely affected. Eventually, infected leaves might fall.

Life cycle and habits: The eggs are “attached at a little angle and covered with frass” and are laid by mothers in circular deposits on the abaxial side of leaves. The species has five instars in its life cycle, and Fink includes illustrations of the fifth instar and adult form. From egg to adult, the developmental process takes around 20 days, with the nymphal stage requiring around 10 days. There are spines on the nymphs. There are possibly seven or eight generations per year, and mating was seen to occur in November. The first six may happen on eggplant, and the seventh on horse nettle (Solanum carolinense). Adults have been spotted all year long, occasionally when hibernating in clumps of grass, behind bark, or in the leaves of mullein (Verbascum thapsus).

For this species, a few semi chemicals have been discovered. This explains earlier observations that nymphs become alarmed when a nearby sibling is crushed. For instance, larvae emit an alarm pheromone called geraniol from their dorsal glands, which causes nearby nymphs to flee.

Maternal care was originally discovered in this species of the lace insect family. As their young mature, mothers move towards the threat and fan their wings to protect them from predators. According to experiments, their offspring had a 3% chance of surviving in the wild without this protection. The mother’s future reproductive capacity in terms of fecundity and clutch size is reduced as a result of safeguarding eggs and young after they hatch, according to further observation.