Adults are 2–3½ mm long and yellow-brown with clearish wings. Females are longer than males, due to their long ovipositors. Females lay up to 25 eggs singly within Brazilian peppertree fruits. Eggs are white, smooth, and oval-shaped with a long stalk and tiny spur. Larvae are up to 3 mm long, white to yellow, and somewhat barrel-shaped. Larvae feed on Brazilian peppertree fruit and seed tissue through five instars. Pupation occurs within fruits; pupae remain in diapause for several months, emerging during fall. There are two generations per year, synchronized with the fall and spring production of fruit.