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FEEDING AND EGG PRODUCTION OF TWO SPECIES OF COCCINELLIDS IN THE LABORATORY

Abstract The relationship between feeding rate and egg production of Coccinella trifasciata Mulsant and C. californica Mannerheim feeding on pea aphids, was investigated in the laboratory at 15.0°, 18.5°, 21.5°, and 25.5°C. Both species increase their feeding rate with increasing temperature above 13.6°C, with C. californica, the larger species, increasing its food consumption faster. C. californica also has the higher maintenance requirement but when food consumption is expressed relative to the beetles’ body weight, there is no difference between the species in either attribute. Coccinella californica converts excess food to eggs more efficiently than C. trifasciata. No significant influence of temperature on either the conversion rate or the maintenance requirement could be detected. The adverse effects of a very low feeding rate, whether due to restricted food supply or low temperature, influenced the beetles’ response to subsequent treatments.