Parasitoid Discrimination between Suitable and Unsuitable Congener Hosts

The eucalyptus longhorned borer, Phoracantha semipunctata (F.) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), is under complete biological control in California following introduction of the encyrtid egg parasitoid, Avetianella longoi Siscaro. The cerambycid congener, Phoracantha recurva Newman¸ subsequently establish...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of insect behavior 2015-07, Vol.28 (4), p.417-425
Main Authors: McDonald, H, Reed, D. A, Ahmadian, S, Paine, T. D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agriculture
Animal behavior
Animal Ecology
Behavioral Sciences
Biological control
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Cerambycidae
Coleoptera
Eggs
encapsulation
Entomology
Eucalyptus
Evolutionary Biology
females
hosts
Hymenoptera
insect behavior
Insects
Life Sciences
Neurobiology
ovipositor
Parasites
parasitism
parasitoids
Phoracantha recurva
Phoracantha semipunctata
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Summary:The eucalyptus longhorned borer, Phoracantha semipunctata (F.) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), is under complete biological control in California following introduction of the encyrtid egg parasitoid, Avetianella longoi Siscaro. The cerambycid congener, Phoracantha recurva Newman¸ subsequently established in the state and has been subject to limited parasitization by the wasp. Behavioral analysis demonstrated that female parasitoids follow the same sequence of ovipositional behaviors when encountering eggs of both beetle species, but discriminate between the species and make a decision to lay an egg only after inserting the ovipositor into an egg. Previous research has demonstrated that the eggs of P. recurva are capable of encapsulating and killing eggs of A. longoi. Eggs of P. semipunctata do not produce a host defense to parasitization. Consequently, the ability of a female to distinguish between the congeneric species has critical fitness consequences.
ISSN:0892-7553
1572-8889
DOI:10.1007/s10905-015-9512-6