Effect of starvation on the mating behavior of an aphidophagous ladybird beetle, Hippodamia variegata Goeze (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in laboratory conditions

Ecological conditions such as access to adequate and appropriate nutrition are one of the factors that affect animal behavior. Various insects try to avoid copulation and even decrease the duration of copulation under starvation. This study aimed to investigate the effect of starvation on the mating performance of Hippodamia variegata (Goeze) in which the virgin males and females (10 to 15 days old) were used. In each experiment, one male and one female were placed in a container for 3 hours (from 12 to 15) and some factors such as copulation latency and copulation duration were recorded. Experiments were conducted at the temperature of 25 ± 1°C and 50 ± 5 % humidity.The results showed the copulation latency and mating duration in the starved group and fed did not show any significant difference. These results can be interpreted that H.variegata can successfully reproduce and adapt to environments with different and even insufficient amount of food in a starvation context and it seems that this species is very suitable for biocontrol.