AN OVERVIEW OF SEXUAL ACTIVITY AND MATING ISSUES IN PREDATORY LADYBIRD BEETLES (COLEOPTERA: COCCINELLIDAE)

Sexual activity and mating issues in predaceous ladybird beetles have been reviewed. The sexual maturation largely depends upon resource consumption during the life stages and supports ovarian maturation in females. The male ladybirds court their females before mating and this courtship is skewed towards younger side of male age. Copulation can be either active involving body shaking or entirely quiescent. Mating refusals is conspicuous among female ladybirds, particularly during second mating. These refusals are highly age-dependent. Body size has a high impact on the mating behaviour and refusals and such behaviour is highly modulated by larger males and females. Food intake during the early stages could modulate the sexual development, adult phenotype, and reproduction of an individual, thereby shaping the reproductive success and providing a direction to sexual selection. Variation in parental age affects offspring phenotype and older parents produce offspring of lower quality and fitness. The mating status influences mate choice for attaining high reproductive success in an individual. Females prefer younger and inexperienced males for their quantitative fecundity and offspring quality. Familiarity influences mate selection and females prefer unfamiliar males over familiar ones. Similarly, females prefer unrelated males to avoid inbreeding depressions.