Behavioural thermoregulation hastens spring mating activity in Pyrrhocoris apterus (Heteroptera: Pyrrhocoridae)

Abstract

Post-diapause, overwintered adults of the true bug Pyrrhocoris apterus L. (Heteroptera, Pyrrhocoridae) form conspicuous aggregations at warm spots in early spring. Using a combination of laboratory experiments and field observations, we assessed the influence of this behaviour on the seasonal timing of reproduction. In the laboratory, post-diapause pairs mated after an accumulation of 80° days (dd), and females started to lay eggs after an additional 80 dd (considering 10.3 °C as a lower temperature threshold for post-diapause development). In the field, however, females mated as early as late March (based on data from four seasons), which corresponded to the accumulation of <15 dd (based on summing the temperatures recorded at a meteorology station). Such a 'discrepancy' between laboratory and field data is explained by thermoregulation. Aggregated adults bask in sunny spots, thereby increasing their body temperatures to ~25 °C, which is 7-16 °C above the temperature of the surrounding ground. This thermal excess speeds up their post-diapause development and enables early mating and oviposition. As a result, behavioural thermoregulation hastens the seasonal start of reproduction in P. apterus by > 1 month.