European Journal of Entomology

Various types of univoltine life cycle and its regulation were studied in Heteroptera. Very often, univoltinism was ensured by obligatory diapause in the species-specific stage. Obligatory egg diapause has been known in mirids Leptopterna dolobrata and Calocoris roseomaculatus. Obligatory nymphal diapause was investigated in Coptosoma scutellatum and obligatory adult diapause with quantitative photoperiodic regulation of nymphal growth was found in Coreus marginatus and Palomena prasina. Univoltinism occurs also in polyvoltine species. For example, in Arma custos and Pyrrhocoris apterus the univoltine development is regulated by environmental factors. Three peculiarities of the photoperiodic response in A. custos (high thermal optimum and threshold and adult photoperiodic sensitivity only) determine diapause induction in each generation throughout the temperate zone. P. apterus has facultative diapause and both univoltine and bivoltine life cycle in the forest-steppe zone. Usually both pathways may occur in the same vegetative season. In cool years, environmental conditions promote increase in univoltinism, whilst, in those warmer, bivoltinism prevails. The univoltine cycle, including summer and winter diapauses, was found in Picromerus bidens. It is concluded that univoltinism may promote spreading of the species area by the use of natural resources during limited periods of year.

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Keywords
Life history, voltinism, diapause, dormancy, photoperiodism, Heteroptera, Pentatomidae, Pyrrhocoridae, Plataspidae, Coreidae, Miridae