Abstract
Females of the hump earwig, Anechura harmandi, are completely consumed by their offspring at the end of their care (matriphagy). The effect of this matriphagy was assessed by manipulative experiments. Matriphagy led to a delay in the dispersal of the nymphs and an increase in their survival rate. The same results were obtained when mothers were removed and the nymphs were given sufficient food. Females separated from their offspring after larval hatching failed to produce a second clutch, and three-quarters of them did not develop their ovaries. These results suggest that the survival of nymphs and their stay in the nest are dependent on food availability and that A. harmandi females are strictly semelparous.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 211-213 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | Journal of Ethology |
Volume | 23 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Aug 1 2005 |
Externally published | Yes |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
- Animal Science and Zoology