The bio-ecological study of Utetheisa pulchella in the Algerian Sahara (Biskra) shows that the life cycle of this species was completed within 46 to 53 days (49.4 � 2.7), with an egg-laying amount that can reach 310 eggs (105.9 � 84.9 eggs), which hatch within 5 to 6 days (5.3 � 0.6 days). Hatching rate varies from 72 to 100% (CV = 8.8%), followed by five larval stages which last from 27 to 57 days (34.6 � 09 days). The pupal stage occurs in the upper soil layers with duration of 9.5 � 1.9 days and an emergence rate of 54.9 � 20.8%. Concerning the host plant Heliotropium europaeum, U. pulchella causes total defoliation after 3 months of its appearance, just after it gets fed on the stems of the plant, with an overall infestation rate of 71.9 � 20.1%. Monitoring of fluctuations in the adult population shows that this species develops two generations with a peak in September and December.

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