Thermal Preferences of Cowpea Seed Beetles (): Effects of Sex and Nuptial Gift Transfers.

The thermal environment influences insect performance, but the factors affecting insect thermal preferences are rarely studied. We studied seed beetles and hypothesized that thermal preferences are influenced by water balance, with individuals with limited water reserves preferring cooler habitats to reduce evaporative water loss. Adult , in their flightless morph, do not consume food or water, but a copulating male provides a female with a nuptial gift of ejaculate containing nutrients and water.

Does seed size mediate sex-specific reproduction costs in the Callosobruchus maculatus bean beetle?

There is a trade-off between reproductive effort and adult longevity, and when resource allocation is taken into account, it is especially pronounced in species that have aphagous adult forms. This trade-off may be further complicated by environmental factors such as nutrient availability during larval development and by the other sex, which influences the costs of reproduction due to the presentation of nuptial gifts. Here, we examined the influence of larval nutrient quantity on the sex-specific longevity costs of reproduction in the gift-giving seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus.