Diapause in eastern North American populations of Coccinella septempunctata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

Experiments examined the effect of photoperiod on the expression of adult diapause in the Palearctic ladybird beetle Coccinella septempunctata, within 10 years of its discovery in North America. The study used beetles from two populations in eastern United States and focused on two aspects of diapause. First, the effects of daylength on the induction and depth (or duration) of diapause were examined by rearing and maintaining adult beetles from Tompkins County, New York,(approx. 42.4°N, 76.5°W) under six constant photoperiods until oviposition, death, or the passage of 125 days. Second, the seasonal progression of diapause maintenance and termination under natural conditions was examined by periodically (between October and April) testing the photoperiodic responses of overwintering adults that had been held out-of-doors; this test used beetles from Bergen County, New Jersey.

Two Data sets are included: (1) Photoperiodic effects on the pattern of reproduction (oviposition versus reproductive diapause) in female Coccinella septempunctata from Tompkins County, New York, USA. and (2) Seasonal effects on the progression of dormancy (diapause and postdiapause development) in Coccinella septempunctata held under natural conditions out-of-doors in Bergen County, New Jersey, USA.