A novel species of Argyrotaenia(Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) Stephens, was found in some avocado orchards in thePacific coast from the Mexican states of Nayarit and Michoacan. Individualsobtained from the field were reared under laboratory conditions to determinetheir life cycle and biology. An artificial diet designed for lepidopterans,as well as a temperature of 26 ± 1ºC and a relative humidity of65 ± 5% allowed the development of one generation per month and successfulinsect development. Female pupae showed an increase in weight and size throughfive generations, while weight and size in male pupae remained stable. The completelife cycle of this insect is around 32-36 days under laboratory conditions,and developmental stages using this diet under laboratory conditions mentionedabove are as follows: egg, 5-6 days, larva, 1820 days, pupa, 6-7days, and adult, 15-20 days. Argyrotaenia has five larval instarsin the laboratory. This study has clarified confusion surrounding this novelspecies of Argyrotaenia with some members of the genus Amorbia(Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), due to similarity in morphology and habits in bothinsects.
