1987] 
Henry & Busker — Green lacewings 
227 
In general, females that mated more than once produced the 
majority of their eggs from the first copulation (Tables 3 and 4). 
However, a subsequent pairing could yield large numbers of eggs if 
earlier copulations had little issue (e.g., I, Table 3, and B, Table 4). 
At their peak of egg productivity, females of either species could 
oviposit nearly 40 eggs per day. Despite varying rates of egg-laying 
and radically different lifetime patterns of re-mating, the most 
fecund individuals consistently laid about 1200 eggs altogether. 
Field-captured Meleoma emuncta females had the lowest fecun- 
dity of any of the lacewings studied (avg. 132 eggs/ female, Table 2). 
This low fecundity may be due in part to unknown dietary or envi- 
ronmental requirements for optimal growth and reproduction 
(Tauber 1969); the species is notably difficult rear (J. Johnson, pers. 
com.). 
Male Reproductive Potential: Continuously Re-mated Males. 
Males of C. plorabunda, C. downesi, and C. oculata could mate 
several times (Table 6). One C. downesi mated with 10 different 
females at 24-hour intervals, and C. plorabunda males inseminated 
maxima of 22 and 30 females. The highest value was posted by an 
individual of C. plorabunda that was re-mated at 2-day rather than 
24-hour intervals; in fact, this male remained reproductively compe- 
tent for much of his long lifespan (210 days). Generally, the data 
from egg counts described a decline in male fertility with time, 
suggesting irreversible sperm depletion. However, the active indi- 
vidual was conspicuously different, maintaining high fertility even 
after many copulations: for example, his 20th female oviposited 620 
eggs, as many as produced by females paired with fresh, virgin 
males. The reproductive potential of males consistently exceeded 
that of females in all three species studied. Again, the exceptional C. 
plorabunda male fathered many more offspring than any other 
individual: over 9600, vs. 2253 for the runner-up. The performance 
of this extraordinary individual, compared with the next-most- 
fertile male, is graphed in Fig. 4. 
Egg Production vs. Copulation Time. 
Chrysoperla plorabunda had consistently shorter matings than its 
sibling, C. downesi (Table 7). Highest individual fecundity in the 
former species was associated with copulation durations of 8-10 
minutes, whereas in C. downesi, longer copulations (19-65 minutes) 
