Preliminary observations of sperm storage in Adalia bipunctata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae): sperm size and number

Sperm storage in A. bipunctata (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) was examined and compared between diapausing and non-diapausing females. We observed that non-diapausing females store on average 13 688 ( plus or minus 722, S.E.) sperm in their spermatheca and that every female examined had sperm in storage (n=16). In contrast, most diapausing females had empty spermatheca and only two had sperm in storage (n=15). Mean sperm number in diapausing females was 250 ( plus or minus 112, S.E.). The mean length of the spermatozoa stored by non-diapausing females was 2068.5 micro m ( plus or minus 9.8, S.E.), ranging from 1530.8 to 3171.7 micro m. Sperm length in diapausing females was only measurable in one female and was of 2102.9 micro m. ( plus or minus 22.4, S.E.