Is there any particular reason why the noun おなか goes with verb すく while the noun はら goes with the verb へる? Would it be weird if I use おなかへった or はらすいた?
While on the same topic, does the 'starving' onomatopoeia ペコペコ go with both おなか and はら?
Answer
Besides the phrases being idiomatic (fixed), there is a slight difference in the meaning of these words.
お腹 (onaka) means stomach, although it can also mean belly
腹 (hara) means belly
You can also tell this from the fact that the pronunciation for お腹 (onaka) is related to 中 (naka) 'inside', which implicates stomach. Therefore, even with the same predicate, they mean different things:
お腹が痛い 'my stomach hurts' means stomach ache caused by eating too much or poisoned food
腹が痛い 'my belly hurts' means laughing to death, (in addition to the meaning above)
In the case in the question, 空く 'become empty' goes well with stomach rather than belly. へる 'lose volume' goes well with belly rather than with stomach (stomach is just a wall).
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