EGG LAYING IN A NORTHEASTERN NORTH AMERICAN (MONTRÉAL, QUÉBEC) POPULATION OF FORFICULA AURICULARIA L. (DERMAPTERA: FORFICULIDAE)

Abstract

AbstractThe egg laying regime of Forficula auricularia L., defined by different parameters (number of broods, proportion of females that produce two broods, number of eggs produced at each batch, and the proportion of the total number of eggs represented by the first batch), was studied in the laboratory and under seminatural conditions for a population from Montréal. Approximately half of the females produced two batches of eggs in the laboratory; however the number of eggs produced in the first batch was substantially higher than that of the second batch. In the field a single batch of eggs was produced. Comparison of our data with the literature showed that the Montréal population appears to have a greater resemblance to one of a cold temperate climate (Font-Romeu, Eastern Pyrénées) than one of a warmer climate (Rennes, Bretagne) for all parameters studied.