Biology and Reproductive Behavior of Murgantia histrionica (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae)

Life history parameters and reproductive behaviors of the harlequin bug, Murgantia histrionicaHahn (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae), were determined. Total developmental time from egg to adultwas 48d.After a sexualmaturationperiodof 7d, both sexesmated repeatedly,with females layingmultiple eggmasses of 12 eggs at intervals of 3 d. Adult females lived an average of 41 d,whereas adult males lived an average of 25 d. Courtship and copulation activities peaked in the middle of the photophase. Inmating experiments inwhichmixed sex pairs of virgin and previouslymated bugswere combined in all possible combinations, the durations of courtship and copulation by virginmaleswere signiÞcantly longer with both virgin and previously mated females than the same behaviors for previouslymatedmales.When given a choice between a virgin or previouslymated female, previously mated males preferred to mate with virgin females, whereas virgin males showed no preference for virgin over previously mated females. Analyses of mating behaviors with ethograms and behavioral transition matrices suggested that a primary reason for failure to copulate by virgin males was the incorrect rotation of their pygophores to the copulation position, so that successful alignment of the genitalia could not occur.