Conditions Governing Diapuse Induction in the Lady Beetle, Coccinella septempunctata bruckii (Coleoptera : Coccinellidae)

Abstract

In the lady beetle, Coccinella septempunctata bruckii, aestivation is true diapause controlled by corpus allatum, while hibernation is not. The condition for diapause induction was studied by rearing experiment. First-generation adults reared under an autumn condition did not diapause, but when these adults wre transferred to a natural condition in summer, they diapaused. Also, in 2nd-generation adults a summer condition remarkably inhibited the respiratory activity. Rearing at 25°C demonstracted that the long photoperiod caused diapause, while the short photoperiod permitted oogenesis. Observation indicates that diapause is induced by the summer condition during adult stage.