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Ladybug Mating & Reproduction
 Photo by
Steve Berentson
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No, they are not playing "piggy-back" rides. The ladybugs are mating. The male grips the female from behind and holds on tight. They can copulate (stay together) for more than 2 hours at a time. Female ladybugs can store a male's sperm for 2-3 months before laying eggs.
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How do we know for sure?
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Males: A. have a notch on the last sternite, shown by the yellow number 6. B. They have lots of setae ("hair-like" structures) on the last segment, shown by yellow number 6 . C. And, they have large flexor bands between the sternites, shown by the arrows above number 3. |
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Females, in general: A. do not have a notch on the last sternite. B. do not have lots of setae, just a little. C. do not have large flexor bands. The female in this image has her wings sticking out.
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An incredible amount of THANKS
to Scott Robinson for the SEM images. For more on Scott's
work visit:
Microscopy Suite, room B650J
Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and
Technology
405 North Mathews Avenue, Urbana IL 61801
Photo copyrighted (2005) by Andrew Wright/Lighthawk
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The Ladybug LadyŽ is a Registered Trademark of Romp with Mother Nature, Inc.
Updated on 02/25/2009