Western corn rootworm ( Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) oviposition can be released by decapitation

Nervous system control of western corn rootworm ( Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, WCR) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) oviposition was studied using decapitation. Gravid females ( n  = 364) were decapitated with scissors and floated in water‐filled Petri dishes. Oviposition by individuals was observed at 30 min intervals for 4 hr after decapitation; cumulative oviposition was tallied at 48 hr post‐treatment. Overall, 82.7% of females laid eggs within 48 hr. Oviposition commenced quickly; 78.4% of females laid eggs during the observation period, 81.8% of these began egg laying within 30 min of decapitation. Egg‐laying females deposited a total of 66.8 ± 2.1 eggs (mean ±  SEM ); this was 85.1% of the total mature egg load. Dissection revealed that 31.9% of n  = 301 laying females and 14.3% of 63 non‐laying females had a rupture of the common oviduct, manifest as an egg‐filled hernia containing a mean of 8.17 ± 1.3 eggs (range: 1–83). Among n  = 237 females that laid eggs during observations, females with hernias laid significantly fewer eggs (35.8 ± 4.2) than intact females (48.0 ± 2.7) during the 4‐hr interval. There was no difference in the mean proportion of hatch for eggs collected from the same n  = 10 females before (0.88 ± 0.03) or after decapitation (0.84 ± 0.04). Rapid oviposition following decapitation suggests that WCR egg laying is under constant descending neural inhibition; the motor programme controlling egg laying must reside posterior to the head. Decapitation can be used to quickly collect mature, fertilized WCR eggs.