Seizi Suzuki
Journal of Insect Science 11 (160), 1-7, (1 November 2011) https://doi.org/10.1673/031.011.16001
KEYWORDS: begging signal, maternal care, parent—offspring conflict
The amount of parental provisioning is thought to reflect the need of offspring. This hypothesis was tested in the case of provisioning food mass to young with controlled clutch size using the maritime earwig, Anisolabis maritima Bonelli (Dermaptera: Anisolabididae). The female provisioned a constant mass of food to the young irrespective of the number of nymphs and the distance of food carrying. In addition, the survival rate of young did not change with adjusted clutch size. This study showed that A. maritima females appear to provide food mass to their nymphs independent of their number.