Life history. Contarinia rudbeckiae Plakidas is a multivoltine species whose larvae live at the base of the sepalsflush with the rim of the flower disc of Rudbeckia laciniata Linnaeus. One to three larvae develop in the infested area. The first generation occurs in the mid-July when the flowers first begin to develop and ends in early September with the larvae leaving the galls and overwintering in the soil.