INFLUENCE OF DIET ON OVIPOSITION AND SURVIVAL OF FORFICULA SENEGALENSIS SERVILLE (DERMAPTERA: FORFICULIDAE)

AbstractThe influence of diet on oviposition and survival of Forficula senegalensis Serville was studied in laboratory conditions using four different regimens: millet leaves and stems, lepidopteran eggs and larvae, millet pollen, and no food at all. Four parameters were monitored: female weight, survival time, time to oviposition, and number of eggs produced. Starving females and females fed millet leaves and stems lost weight and survived for an average of 30–40 days without any of them laying eggs. Females fed millet pollen or lepidopteran eggs and larvae gained weight and survived for more than 60 days. Forty percent of the females fed pollen laid an average of 49 eggs the first time, and 50% of those fed lepidopteran eggs and larvae produced an average of 67.5 eggs. In both cases, less than 2% of the females oviposited a second time (average of 30 eggs). Earwigs fed lepidopteran eggs and larvae oviposited sooner. A diet of millet leaves is insufficient for oviposition in F. senegalensis; females need a richer diet based on pollen or animal preys in order to lay eggs.