Reproductive Capacity of Laboratory-Reared Gypsy Moths (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae): Effect of Age of Female at Time of Mating

Abstract

The reproductive potential of laboratory-reared gypsy moths, Lymantria dispar (L.), was studied as a function of female age at time of mating. The parameters studied were number of eggs produced, number of eggs deposited, mating, sperm transfer, egg viability, and female longevity. Delayed mating did not affect female longevity, but all other factors decreased with increased age at time of mating. With increasing age, females were less likely to mate or receive a full complement of sperm than females exposed to males within the first few days after eclosion. Females that oviposited before being placed with males were less likely to mate than those that had not. For females receiving a full complement of sperm, the number of eggs produced, the number laid, and egg viability decreased with increasing age of the female at mating. Overall, a delay in mating of 3-5 d reduced the reproductive potential of females from 40 to 90% of that of females mated within the first 36 h.