The ladybird beetle Coccinella septempunctata (L.) is an important biocontrol agent of pests such as various aphid species. Despite being one of the most studied coccinellid species, many aspects of its foraging behavior are still not completely understood. This study focuses on the diel foraging behavior of C. septempunctata, investigating their olfactory orientation toward aphid‐infested plants, walking activity on plants and on the soil, and feeding rates. In the scotophase the ladybird beetles were significantly more attracted to the odor of aphid‐infested plants, on which they also showed considerably higher walking activity then on uninfested controls. Females were more prone to utilize olfactory cues when searching for prey and fed at higher rates than males; this shows that they are better adapted to nocturnal activity, as they require higher food intake. Coccinella septempunctata have the same feeding rate during the scotophase as in the photophase. Our study shows that C. septempunctata has the potential to forage in the scotophase if prey is abundant. The results support the hypothesis that volatiles of aphid‐infested plants can attract or arrest foraging adult ladybird beetles, even in the darkness, which makes a considerable contribution to efficient prey search and enhances feeding capacity.

中文翻译：

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蚜虫诱导的植物挥发物影响瓢虫七星瓢虫的觅食行为

瓢虫甲虫 Coccinella septempunctata (L.) 是多种蚜虫等害虫的重要生物防治剂。尽管是研究最多的瓢虫物种之一，但其觅食行为的许多方面仍未完全了解。本研究的重点是 C. septempunctata 的昼夜觅食行为，调查它们对蚜虫侵染植物的嗅觉方向、植物和土壤上的行走活动以及摄食率。在 scotophase，瓢虫甲虫明显更容易被蚜虫侵染的植物的气味所吸引，在这些植物上，它们的行走活动也比未受侵染的对照高得多。与雄性相比，雌性在寻找猎物时更容易利用嗅觉线索，并且喂食率更高；这表明它们更适应夜间活动，因为他们需要更高的食物摄入量。Coccinella septempunctata 在暗相与光相具有相同的摄食率。我们的研究表明，如果猎物丰富，C. septempunctata 有可能在暗期觅食。结果支持这样的假设，即被蚜虫侵染的植物的挥发物即使在黑暗中也能吸引或阻止觅食的成年瓢虫甲虫，这对有效的猎物搜索和提高摄食能力做出了相当大的贡献。