Female internal reproductive organs, modes of sperm transfer, and phylogeny of Asian Epilachninae (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

A total of 22 Indonesian and Japanese species of epilachnine ladybird beetles were divided into the following three groups on the basis of the conditions of bursa copulatrix and spermatheca, and modes of sperm transfer. Group 1, ‘Henosepilachna’, being characterized by a spermatheca derived from the lateral side of a well developed bursa copulatrix and formation of a ‘spermatophore’ prior to ejaculation; group 2, Epilachna admirabilis species-group and E. chapini group, by a spermatheca derived from terminal end of a well developed bursa copulatrix and lack of spermatophore formation; and group 3, E. flavicollis group and E. fallax group, by a reduced bursa copulatrix with or without a terminally positioned spermatheca and lack of spermatophore formation. It was suggested that groups 2 and 3 are phylogenetically more closely related to each other than they are to group 1.