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Weighty matters: Body size, diet and specialization in aphidophagous ladybird beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

Key words. Body size, prey size, prey density, capture efficiency, dietary breadth, specialization, Coccinellidae, aphids

Abstract. Aphidophagous ladybirds exhibit a broad range of body sizes. Until now this has been thought to be a function of the different prey densities that they feed at, with smaller ladybirds feeding at lower prey densities. The size of the prey species they feed on has been considered to have no relationship with ladybird body size. However, these arguments possess a limited capacity to explain observed data from the field. I here demonstrate a more realistic, complex approach incorporating both prey density and the size of prey species. Small ladybirds can feed on ...

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