Interspecific variation in life history traits of Elasmostethus (Hemiptera: Acanthosomatidae)

Life history traits, such as clutch size, egg size (weight), developmental periods of eggs, and female body (abdomen) size, were investigated in Japanese species of the genus Elasmostethus Fieber (Hemiptera: Acanthosomatidae): E. amabilis Yamamoto, E. brevis Lindberg, E. humeralis Jakovlev, E. interstinctus (Linnaeus), E. kerzhneri Yamamoto, and E. nubilus (Dallas). With the exception of clutch size, significant differences were observed in the traits among species. No species exhibited maternal care of eggs. These data form a solid basis for future comparative analyses in the family Acanthosomatidae, which contains both subsocial and asocial species.