Ecological and Nutritional Studies on Coleomegilla mucalata De Geer (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). III. The Effect of DDT, Toxaphene, and Endrin on the reproductive and Survival Potentials1

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Abstract
Adult lady beetles Coleomegilla maculata De Geer, were treated with DDT, endrin, toxaphene, or a toxaphene-DDT mixture. DDT had no effect on longevity, increased oviposition by 2/3 but reduced the number of F1 progeny produced by 1/4; it was equally toxic to diapausing and active beetles. DDT was significantly more toxic to beetles collected from Baton Rouge than to those collected at Boyce, Louisiana but both populations were heterogeneous in their response to it. Endrin decreased longevity but had no effect on oviposition or survival of F1 it was equally toxic to diapausing and active beetles; the experimental population was homogeneous in its response to endrin. Toxaphene decreased longevity and prevented oviposition; the diapausing beetles withstood higher doses of toxaphene than the active beetles; the experimental population was heterogeneous in its response to toxaphene. Toxaphene-DDT mixture exhibited strong synergistic action, decreased longevity, and decreased reproduction about 1/3, It had no effect on survival potential of the F1. The experimental population was homogeneous in response to the mixture. A log time-probit line technique was devised as a means of expressing the effect of a poison on longevity of an organism under laboratory conditions. This technique is discussed.

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