As 2023 comes to an end, iEcoLab continues to reflect on notable research produced this past year. In this post we highlight another article by Dr. Nadege Belouard and coauthored by Dr. Jocelyn Behm. Belouard & Behm dive into spotted lanternfly reproduction to confirm the existence of polyandrous females. Furthermore, they establish genetic evidence exhibiting multiple paternity in egg masses produced by polyandrous females. Egg masses laid by polyandrous females tended to be larger in size indicating the strategy increases fecundity. When investigated across the invasion front, the rate of multiple paternity increased closer to the introduction point, potentially due to low male availability and population density.
This paper was also highlighted by Entomology Today where writer Paige Embry discusses the implications of multiple paternity exhibited by SLF in conversation with Belouard.
Belouard, N & JE Behm. 2023. Multiple paternity in the invasive spotted lanternfly (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae). Environmental Entomology, 1-7.