ARTHROPOD BIOLOGY Effect of Diet and Mating Status on Ovarian Development in a Predaceous Stink Bug Perillus bioculatus (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)

A method is presented to quantitatively score the degree of ovarian maturation in a predacious pentatomid with asynchronous follicle development. The effects of artiÞcial diet and mating status on ovarian maturation rates were examined. Ovarian scores were not inßuenced by mating status but were signiÞcantly lower in females fed the artiÞcial diet. Ovarian follicles start forming when females are 2.3 d old, reaching a peak at 4.5 d. In controls, the rate of new follicle formation decreases after the onset of vitellogenesis. By 4.5 d, all control ovarioles contained at least 1 vitellogenic follicle, and by 9.5 d all ovarioles had chorionated follicles. In contrast, females fed the artiÞcial diet had 40% of the ovarioles with a vitellogenic and chorionated follicle at 10.5 d of age. Mating startedwhen femaleswere 3.5 d old and correlatedwith the start of vitellogenesis. Twopeaks in mating were observed, one at 4.5 d and the other at 9.5 d. Regulatory mechanisms for oogenesis