Eur. J. Entomol. 90 (4): 457-463, 1993
Egg and cluster size in ladybird beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae): The direct and indirect effects of aphid abundance
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Food stress experienced during larval and adult life in Coccinella septempunctata L. results in variation in the rate of production of eggs per unit time and in the size of egg clusters but not in egg size. This lends support to the suggestion that egg size is constrained by the minimum size at which first instar larvae can capture active prey and/or complete their development before prey become scarce. When supplied with an excess of food large beetles produce larger clusters of eggs than small beetles. This is associated with the large females having more ovarioles in their gonads than small females. As the proportion of eggs that give rise to larvae remains the same for clusters of from 6 to 60 eggs there appear to be no costs, in terms of increased predispersal sibling cannibalism, to laying larger clusters of eggs.
Keywords: Aphid abundance, Coccinellidae, cannibalism, clutch size, egg size, ovarioles
Accepted: September 25, 1993; Published: December 30, 1993 Show citation
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