Flexible oviposition behavior in the golden egg bug (Phyllomorpha laciniata) and its implications for offspring survival

Female golden egg bugs show unique flexibility in their oviposition behavior. Females can lay eggs on plants, where they are left unattended, or on the back of conspecifics, where they remain until hatching. In this article we show that eggs have greater survival rates when carried by an adult than when laid on plants. The main causes of egg mortality are predators and a parasitoid wasp. Our results suggest that, although predation pressure is similar, fewer eggs are attacked by parasitoid wasps when carried by an adult than when laid on plants. In addition, we show that, when given a choice, females prefer to lay eggs on the backs of conspecifics than on plants. Thus, female oviposition choice is adaptive and minimizes individual offspring mortality. The factors that may maintain such behavioral variation in current populations are discussed.