The biology of Conotrachelus hutneropictus Fiedler, 1940, a serious pest of Theobroma cacao L. and T. grandiflorum (Will, ex Spreng.) Schum, were investigated. The research was conducted in laboratories under controled temperature (27 ± 2oC) and relative humidity (80 ± 10%) conditions, C. hutneropictus fed on young leaves and fruits of cocoa. Its cycle from egg to adult emergency from soil, was estabilished in average from 79 to 151 days, being 108.80 ± 9.44 (X ± SE95) days for males and 156.87 ±16.19 days for females. The pre-oviposition period was 16.20 ± 0.49 days. The oviposition period was 80.50 ± 5.58 days, when each female lays 55 to 153 eggs in average 108.45 ± 6.21 eggs, and the daily oviposition was 1.29 ± 0.03 eggs. For the larval and embrionaire phases inside the cocoa fruits, the insect needed 25 to 39 days, (31.37 ± 10.96 days). After this period, 20.25 ± 1.50 days in the soil were necessary for pre-pupal (6,07 ± 0,06 days) and pupal (9,62 ±0,10 days) development and completphysiologic adult formation (4,56 ±0,11 days). By this time, C. humeropictus becomes more vulnerable to attack of natural enemies, specially fungi Metarhizium anisopliae (Metsch.) Sorok and Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill. only enemies constated in the researche.
Insecta; cocoa borer; cupuassu borer; Theobroma cacao; Theobroma grandiflorum