Reproductive Potential of Bisexual Pycnoscelus indicus and Clones of Its Parthenogenetic Relative, Pycnoscelus surinamensis

Five reproductive characters of bisexual Pycnoscelus indicus (F.) and 12 parthenogenetic clones of Pycnoscelus surinamensis (L.) (5 chromosomal forms) were compared. In both species maturation of basal oocytes and development and hatching of the eggs in the ootheca is less than 100 percent. P. indicus is a better reproducer than any of the P. surinamensis clones. Reproductive potential varies between different clones of P. surinamensis but this is not necessarily correlated with changes in chromosome number, i.e., clones with similar numbers of chromosomes may differ in their reproductive potential.