Abstract

ESTEVEZ, Ana Lía; ARMUA DE REYES, Cristina  and  SCHNACK, Juan A. Successful hatching from eggs carried by females and naturally removed from incubant males in Belostoma spp. water bugs (Heteroptera: Belostomatidae). Rev. biol. trop [online]. 2006, vol.54, n.2, pp.515-517. ISSN 0034-7744.

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. Rev. Biol. Trop. 54(2): 515-517. Epub 2006 Jun 01.

Keywords : belostomatinae; egg brooding; parental investment; sexual roles.

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