Egg cannibalism by Coleomegilla maculata lengi neonates: preference even in the presence of essential prey

1. Egg cannibalism among coccinellids has been reported widely, however reasons why this type of behaviour is observed so frequently have been neglected. This experiment was undertaken to clarify whether cannibalistic behaviour is advantageous to Coleomegilla maculata lengi Thimberlake neonates and to understand the reasons for high levels of egg cannibalism. 2. Benefits gained by neonate cannibals were ascertained by comparing survival, developmental time, and second‐instar weight of C. maculata larvae that were allowed to cannibalise conspecific eggs or not. Preference and behaviour tests were also conducted to assess the reasons for high levels of egg cannibalism. 3. Cannibal neonates grew faster and were heavier than non‐cannibals. The developmental time of neonates was influenced more by prey vulnerability than by prey quality. 4. In choice tests, where three different proportions of conspecific eggs and aphids were offered (33–67, 50–50, and 67–33%), C. maculata neonates always consumed significantly more eggs. Manly's preference indexes indicated that neonates showed a consistent preference for conspecific eggs. 5. Seventy‐five per cent of neonates observed went directly towards eggs and 90% of the first prey consumed by neonates were an egg. When aphids were painted with extract of crushed eggs and eggs with crushed aphids to determine whether neonates found eggs by chemical cues, neonates preferred aphids painted with egg extract to eggs painted with aphid extract. 6. It was concluded that C. maculata neonates benefited from cannibalistic behaviour. Moreover, egg cannibalism is not related only to frequency of encounter; chemical cues are also involved in egg searching.