On the Reproductive Diapause in the Predatory Ladybird Cheilomenes sexmaculata (Fabricius, 1781) (Coleoptera,Coccinellidae)

Entomological Review - The ability to enter reproductive diapause was experimentally studied in females of the laboratory population of the predatory ladybird Cheilomenes sexmaculata originated...     

Phenotypic Plasticity of the Thermal Reaction Norms for Development in the Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle,Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) (Coleoptera,Coccinellidae)

Entomological Review - Phenotypic plasticity of insect thermal reaction norms (TRNs) (the lower thermal threshold, coefficient of thermal sensitivity, and sum of degree-days) ensures precise...     

Walking activity of a predatory ladybird,Cheilomenes propinqua: impacts of photoperiod,temperature, and starvation

BioControl - We investigated prey-search activity of a predatory ladybird, Cheilomenes propinqua Mulsant (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), evaluated as the mean walking speed of males and females in...     

Photoperiodic,thermal and trophic responses of a predatory ladybird Cheilomenes propinqua

Large geographic range, wide habitat specificity and broad range of prey (including a number of pests of protected crops) suggest that a predatory ladybird Cheilomenes propinqua can be considered as potential agent for biological control in greenhouses. We investigated the influence of day length (10, 12 and 14 hr), temperature (20 and 24°C) and diet (the green peach aphid Myzus persicae and eggs of the grain moth Sitotroga cerealella) on the rate of maturation, fecundity and induction of reproductive diapause in C. propinqua females of a laboratory population originated from Alexandria, Egypt. The proportion of diapausing females (i.e. those with poorly developed ovaries and well-developed fat body) varied from 5% to 70% being higher at short day, low temperature and feeding on the grain moth eggs. This diapause, however, was not very stable: more than 20% of females kept under diapause-inducing conditions started to lay eggs during 110 days, although their pre-oviposition period was about 5 times longer than that of females which matured at the same temperature but at the long day and on the natural diet. Although not very stable, reproductive diapause significantly increased survival of starving females. Such a short-term reproductive diapause can be considered as an adaptation to mild and short-term subtropical winter. The results of our study suggest that C. propinqua mass rearing will be more intensive at the combination of high temperature, natural food (aphids) and long day (14 hr), whereas individuals intended for long-term storage should be reared under moderate temperature (20°C) and short-day (10 hr) conditions and should be fed on factitious food (the grain moth eggs).