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Egg laying decisions by the bean weevil Callosobruchus maculatus
Author(s) -
WILSON KENNETH
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
ecological entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.865
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1365-2311
pISSN - 0307-6946
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2311.1988.tb00338.x
Subject(s) - callosobruchus maculatus , biology , weevil , curculionidae , competition (biology) , larva , zoology , ecology , botany , pest analysis
.1 Previous work has shown that female Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) can accurately assess the number of eggs on a seed and use this information to produce a near uniform distribution of egg‐loads, so minimizing larval competition within hosts. 2 The decision to lay on a particular seed may be based on one of two possible rules: (i) a‘relative’rule, which compares the number of eggs on the present seed with that on previously encountered seeds; and (ii) an‘absolute’rule, which takes into account the current egg‐load alone. 3 This paper describes an experimental study of oviposition behaviour which concludes that an absolute measure of egg‐load probably determines egg‐laying decisions. The implications of this result are discussed.