The Rôle of Mating in the Reproduction of Parasitic Hymenoptera

Abstract

In those spp. of parasitic Hymenoptera in which reproductions is uniparental, mating may cause a reduction in the number of viable eggs. Where reproduction is bi-parental, mating is necessary only for the production of [female] [female] Mating may be inhibited either by the presence of live sperms on the sperm capsule or by aging of the [female] In species in which oviposition occurs as readily before as after mating, the time of mating determines the sex ratio. In certain of such species, the oviposition instincts of the 2 are changed from hyperparasitic to parasitic by presence of sperms on the sperm capsule. In spp. in which mating precedes oviposition, the completeness of oviposition and, consequently, the amount of oosporation and the proportion of sterile eggs deposited are detd. by the mating. In some cases inbreeding may reduce the proportion of viable fertilized eggs.