Effects of body size and prey quality on the reproductive attributes of two aphidophagous Coccinellidae (Coleoptera) species

Abstract

In the present study, effects of body size and prey quality on reproductive attributes and longevity of two aphidophagous Coccinellidae (Coleoptera), Coccinella septempunctata (Linnaeus) and Coccinella transversalis Fabricius, have been investigated in laboratory conditions. Higher fecundity, egg fertility, and longevity were obtained in larger females of C. septempunctata on pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), and in C. transversalis on bean aphid, Aphis craccivora Koch (Hemiptera: Aphididae). Males of C. septempunctata survived longer than those of C. transversalis on both prey. Number of clutches was lower and clutch size was higher in early and late reproductive phase; the reverse was observed in the middle of the reproductive phase. Larger females of C. septempunctata and C. transversalis laid higher number of clutches than the smaller ones. Thus, both body size and prey quality affect reproductive performance in Coccinellidae, though size variation did not change the prey preference.