Description and life cycle Twospotted spider mite adult males are pale yellow, pale to dark green, brownish, or at times faintly orange. An inconspicuous dark area is generally present on each side, and other dark areas are frequently seen along the middle. Newly emerged females have two large black spots, one on each side just back of the eyespot. After feeding, black splotches show up in irregular patterns in other parts of the body. Males are readily distinguished from females in this stage by the smaller size of the body, the pointed abdomen, and the small size of the spots.
Eggs are spherical in shape.
When first deposited they are clear and watery, becoming opaque and glassy as incubation progresses. Eggs turn a pale straw color just before hatching. The embryo's red eyespots are plainly visible at this time. Newly hatched larvae are round, about the size of the egg, have six legs, and are colorless except for red eyes. Protonymphs, larger and more oval in outline than the larva, have four pairs of legs.