Oviposition Patterns of Asian Phytophagous Ladybird Beetles (Coccinellidae, Coccinellidae, Epilachninae)

Abstract

The oviposition patterns of seven &ldqup;Epilachna”, one Afidenta and three “Henosepilachna” species from Indonesia and Japan were examined and compared with those of 10 Asian species of epilachnines previously documented. The 21 species were divided into two groups based on the patterns. The first group consisted of twelve “Henosepilachna” species and Afidenta misera, and the other one consisted of eight “Epilachna” species. The former group laid several to dozens of eggs in an erect position and in mass on the underside of host leaves. On the other hand, the oviposition pattern of the latter group was diverse. They laid eggs singly, or up to ten plus eggs together, on the leaf surface or in tendrils of host plants. Eggs were usually not erect, but flat on host leaves, or were attached to or inserted into tendrils. The possible relevance between the oviposition patterns and the abundance of epilachnine species in the field was briefly discussed.