Soulioti P, Adamaki-Sotiraki C, Rumbos C I, Athanassiou C G
Department of Agriculture, Laboratory of Entomology and Agricultural Zoology, Crop Production and Rural Environment, University of Thessaly, Phytokou Str., 38446, Volos, Greece.
Department of Agriculture, University of Patras, 30200, Messolonghi, Greece.
Biogerontology. 2025 Jan 8;26(1):36. doi: 10.1007/s10522-024-10178-8.
Over the years, the study of adult sex ratio is a topic that has gained attention for its impact on reproductive outcomes and aging across various insect species. However, there is still limited research focused on insects reared for food and feed production. To address this gap, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of different adult sex ratios on the reproductive dynamics and longevity of the superworm, Zophobas morio (F.) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), a species with interesting potential as a nutrient source. In this study, we assessed three adult sex ratios, i.e., 5:5, 6:4 and 8:2 (female:male) with mesh used to each setup. An additional 5:5 sex ratio without mesh served as control. On a weekly basis, adult survival, egg production, and egg hatching rates were recorded. Our results revealed statistically significant differences in egg production across the different sex ratios tested, but no statistically significant differences in hatching rates and adult survival. These findings suggest that both balanced and female-biased sex ratios are suitable for Z. morio and that it is important to consider this factor when enhancing efficiency in large-scale insect production.
多年来，成年性别比的研究因其对各种昆虫物种的繁殖结果和衰老的影响而受到关注。然而，针对用于食品和饲料生产的昆虫的研究仍然有限。为了填补这一空白，本研究旨在评估不同成年性别比对黄粉虫（Zophobas morio (F.)，鞘翅目：拟步甲科）繁殖动态和寿命的影响，黄粉虫作为一种营养来源具有有趣的潜力。在本研究中，我们评估了三种成年性别比，即5:5、6:4和8:2（雌性:雄性），每个设置都使用了网。另外一个没有网的5:5性别比作为对照。每周记录成虫存活率、产卵量和孵化率。我们的结果显示，在所测试的不同性别比中，产卵量存在统计学上的显著差异，但孵化率和成虫存活率没有统计学上的显著差异。这些发现表明，平衡的和雌性偏多的性别比都适合黄粉虫，并且在提高大规模昆虫生产效率时考虑这一因素很重要。
