Preliminary observations of sperm storage in Adalia bipunctata (Coleoptera : Coccinellidae): sperm size and number

• Sperm storage in Adalia bipunctata (L.) (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) was examined and compared between diapausing and non-diapausing females. We observed that non-diapausing females store on average 13,688 (+/-722, S.E.) sperm in their spermatheca and that every female examined had sperm in storage (n = 16). In contrast, most diapausing females had empty spermatheca and only two had sperm in storage (n = 15). Mean sperm number in diapausing females was 250 (+/-112, S.E.). The mean length of the spermatozoa stored by non-diapausing females was 2,068.5 mum (+/-9.8, S.E.), ranging from 1,530.8 to 3,171.7 mum. Sperm length in diapausing females was only measurable in one female and was of 2,102.9 mum (+/-22.4, S.E.).

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi -- Ekologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences -- Ecology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

spermatheca

diapause

two-spot ladybird

Coleoptera

Coccinellidae

Publikations- och innehållstyp

art (ämneskategori)

ref (ämneskategori)