Factors mediating effect of mating on lifespan of females \kur{Pyrrhocoris apterus.}

Data from the literature suggest that the male accessory gland proteins (Acps) are responsible for the cost of mating in insect females. Consistent with this idea, females of Pyrrhocoris apterus continuously exposed to males deprived of juvenile hormone (JH) by ablation of the corpus allatum (CA), and consequently with reduced Acps, lived slightly longer than did females exposed to intact males. On the other hand, the widely held view that the cost of mating is mediated via enhanced levels of JH and fecundity was challenged: (a) mating reduced life span in both CA-ablated and intact females, (b) the intensity of egg production and protein content in eggs did not differ between virgin and mating females. CA-ablation dramatically reduced activity of phenoloxidase (PO) (a component of immune system) in non-diapause females, but neither mating (short life) nor diapause (long life, CA is inactive) reduced PO activity, suggesting that PO plays no important role in the regulation of lifespan