Annals of the Entomological Society of America (2013) 106, 66-71

Dao-Hong Zhu, Qin Zhao and Seiji Tanaka (2013)
Influence of male presence on reproductive parameters of Locusta migratoria (Orthoptera: Acrididae) females
Annals of the Entomological Society of America 106 (1), 66-71
Abstract: Mating not only enables the female to acquire spermatozoa from the male, but may also enhance female fecundity and induce egg laying in many insect species. The general consensus is that the increased fecundity that results from mating is because of substances obtained from the male reproductive accessory gland at the time of mating. To understand better the effects of mating on reproduction, we compared the longevity, fecundity, and hatchability of eggs laid by females of a tropical strain of Locusta migratoria Linné that had been subject to different mating treatments. Females that were paired with males from which the testes, accessory glands, testes and accessory glands, or genitalia were extirpated did not differ significantly from females mated with intact males in some reproductive parameters. Their reproductive rates up to 92%, preovipositional periods were around 24 d and ovipositional intervals were around 5 d. They laid ≈6 egg pods during their adult lives and produced ≈50 eggs per egg pod. However, isolated females or females physically separated from a male in the same cage only 41.2 or 48.0% laid eggs, over 80 d in preovipositional periods and nearly 8 d in ovipositional interval; they only laid 1.3 or 1.1 egg pods throughout its life span and produced ≈30 eggs per egg pod, which were significantly different with the value for females mated with operated and intact males. The hatchability of eggs laid by females paired with the surgically altered males (around 20%) were significantly lower than those laid by females mated with intact males (83.2% in mean), but significantly higher than those laid by parthenogenic females or females physically separated from a male in the same cage (3.2 or 4.4%, respectively). The results suggested that, in addition to the transfer of spermatozoa and accessory gland secretions, physical contact between males and females, especially mounting behavior, might also promote female oviposition, increasing fecundity and egg hatchability.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Seiji Tanaka

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Locusta migratoria