Successful hatching from eggs carried by females and naturally removed from incubant males in Belostoma spp. water bugs (Heteroptera: Belostomatidae).
Within Belostomatinae water bug species (Heteroptera, Belostomatidae) it has been hitherto believed that the completion of embryonic development is successful only if eggs are incubated on male hemelytra. Nevertheless, we found egg successful hatching from a back-brooding Belostoma elegans (Mayr) and B. micantulum (Stål) females, as well as from fertilized eggs kicked off from four back-brooder B. elegans males. One "encumbered" B. elongatum Montandon female was also recorded, but eggs did not hatch after she removed them.
Estévez
Ana Lía
AL
Departamento Cientifico de Entomología, Museo de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque s/n. 1900, La Plata, Argentina. estevezanalia@hotmail.com
de Reyes
Cristina Armúa
CA
Schnack
Juan A
JA
D000818:Animals; D001118:Argentina; D005260:Female; D020062:Heteroptera / Q000196:embryology* / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D010058:Oviposition / Q000502:physiology*; D010063:Ovum / Q000502:physiology*; D012098:Reproduction / Q000502:physiology