Fitness consequences of superparasitism and mechanism of host discrimination in the stemborer parasitoid Cotesia flavipes

The fitness consequences of superparasitism and the mechanism of host discrimination in Cotesia flavipes, a larval parasitoid of concealed stemborer larvae was investigated. Naive females readily superparasitized and treated the already parasitized host as an unparasitized host by allocating the sam...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Entomologia experimentalis et applicata 1997-03, Vol.82 (3), p.341-348
Main Authors: Potting, R.P.J. (Landbouwuniversiteit Wageningen (Netherlands). Vakgroep Entomologie), Snellen, H.M, Vet, L.E.M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal ethology
BEHAVIOUR
Biological and medical sciences
Braconidae
COMPORTAMIENTO
COMPORTEMENT
COTESIA
Cotesia flavipes
fitness
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
HIPERPARASITISMO
HIPERPARASITOS
host discrimination
HOST PARASITE RELATIONS
Hymenoptera
HYPERPARASITE
HYPERPARASITES
HYPERPARASITISM
HYPERPARASITISME
Laboratorium voor Entomologie
Laboratory of Entomology
LARVAE
LARVAS
LARVE
MORTALIDAD
MORTALITE
MORTALITY
mortality risk
parasitoid
PARASITOIDE
PARASITOIDES
PARASITOIDS
patch marking
Protozoa. Invertebrata
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
RELACIONES HUESPED PARASITO
RELATION HOTE PARASITE
stemborer
superparasitism
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Summary:The fitness consequences of superparasitism and the mechanism of host discrimination in Cotesia flavipes, a larval parasitoid of concealed stemborer larvae was investigated. Naive females readily superparasitized and treated the already parasitized host as an unparasitized host by allocating the same amount of eggs as in an unparasitized host. However, there was no significant increase in the number of emerging parasitoids from superparasitized hosts due to substantial mortality of parasitoid offspring in superparasitized hosts. Furthermore, the developmental time of the parasitoids in a superparasitized host was significantly longer than in a singly parasitized host and the emerging progeny were significantly smaller (body length and head width). Naive females entered a tunnel in which the host was parasitized 4 h previously and accepted it for oviposition. Experienced females (oviposition experience in unparasitized host) refused to enter a tunnel with a host parasitized by herself or by another female. In experiments where the tunnel and/or host was manipulated it was demonstrated that the female leaves a mark in the tunnel when she parasitizes a host. The role of patch marking in C. flavipes is discussed in relation to the ecology of the parasitoid.
ISSN:0013-8703
1570-7458
DOI:10.1046/j.1570-7458.1997.00148.x