Differences in the Development of Internal Reproductive Organs, Feeding Amount and Nutrient Storage between Pre-Diapause and Pre-Reproductive <i>Harmonia axyridis</i> Adults

• Main Authors: Qiao Gao, Bing-Xin Wei, Wen Liu, Jia-Lu Wang, Xing-Miao Zhou, Xiao-Ping Wang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-08-01
• Series: Insects
• Subjects: <i>Harmonia axyridis</i>; diapause; photoperiod; internal reproductive organs; feeding amount; nutrient storage
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/10/8/243

Diapause control is one of the successful methods for long-term cold storage of biological control organisms without decreasing their fitness. Sufficient preparation before diapause is essential for successful diapause initiation and maintenance. <i>Harmonia axyridis</i>, an important biocontrol agent in its native place, can enter reproductive diapause for overwintering. However, the key preparatory events before diapause in <i>H. axyridis</i>, such as specific developmental trajectory, timing, and physiological changes, remain unclear. We compared differences in the development of internal reproductive organs, feeding amount and nutrient storage between pre-diapause and pre-reproductive adult <i>H. axyridis</i> which had been reared at 20 °C under a short-day (10L:14D) and long-day (14L:10D) condition, respectively. The results showed that there were obvious morphological differences in internal reproductive organs of diapause and reproductive <i>H. axyridis</i>. The development of internal reproductive organs was suppressed at early adult stage in pre-diapause beetles compared to pre-reproductive beetles. Feeding amount in both pre-diapause and pre-reproductive beetles increased for more than ten days after eclosion. The feeding amount of pre-diapause beetles sharply decreased from the 15th day after eclosion in females and the 14th day after eclosion in males, which implied the initiation of diapause. During the pre-diapause stage, carbohydrates and lipids were mainly accumulated by females, whereas males mainly accumulated carbohydrates. Our results not only provide basic information about the diapause process of pre-diapause stage, but also give tips to better utilization of diapause strategy during mass production and storage of <i>H. axyridis</i>.