Summary
Two laboratory experiments were conducted to examine the ovipositional preferences of the egg parasitoidOoencyrtus nezarae Ishii (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) for parasitized and unparasitizedMegacopta punctatissimum Montandon (Hemiptera: Plataspidae). Females that had never oviposited or that had not oviposite for 3 days preferred recently parasitized hosts more than unparasitized hosts. The preference for recently parasitized hosts appeared to be mediated by the punctures in already parasitized hosts made by the ovipositor of the first female. Survival of the parasitoid progeny was lower in recently parasitized hosts than in unparasitized hosts. However, handling time of parasitized hosts was extremely short relative to that of unparasitized hosts, because the superparasitizing female could use the punctures made by the previous females. It is concluded that the females preferred the parasitized hosts over unparasitized hosts because the benefit of saving time and energy for drilling was more than the cost of progeny survival.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Bakker K, Alphen JJM van, Batenburg FHD van, Hoeven N van der, Nell HW, Strien-van Liempt WTFH van, Turlings TCJ (1985) The function of host discrimination and superparasitization in parasitoids. Oecologia 67:572–576
Charnov EL, Skinner SW (1985) Complementary approaches to the understanding of parasitoid oviposition decisions. Env Entomol 14:383–391
Flanders SE (1936) A biological phenomenon affecting the establishment of Aphelinidae as parasites. Ann Entomol Soc Am 29:251–255
Flanders SE (1953) Aphelinid biologies with implications for taxonomy. Ann Entomol Soc Am 46:84–94
Klomp H, Teerink BJ, Ma WC (1980) Discrimination between parasitized and unparasitized hosts in the egg parasiteTrichogramma embryophagum (Hym: Trichogrammatidae): a matter of learning and forgetting. Neth J Zool 30:254–277
Ohno K (1987) Effect of host age on parasitism byTrissolcus plautiae (Watanabe) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae), an egg parasitoid ofPlautia stali Scott (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae). Appl Entomol Zool 22:646–648
Pak GA (1986) Behavioural variations among strains ofTrichogramma spp.: a review of the literature on host-age selection. J Appl Entomol 101:55–64
Strand MR, Vinson SB (1983) Host acceptance behaviour of the parasitoidTelenomus heliothidis (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) towardHeliothis virescens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Ann Entomol Soc Am 76:781–785
Subba Rao BR, Chacko MJ (1961) Studies onAllophanurus indicus n. sp., an egg parasite ofBagrada cruciferarum Kirkaldy (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae). Beitr Entomol 11:812–824
Takasu K, Hirose Y (1985) Seasonal egg parasitism of phytophagous stink bugs in a soybean field in Fukuoka (In Japanese with English summary). Proc Assoc Pl Prot Kyushu 31:127–131
Takasu K, Hirose Y (1988) Host discrimination in the parasitoidOoencyrtus nezarae: the role of the egg stalk as an external marker. Ent Exp Appl 47:45–48
Van Alphen JJM, Nell HW (1982) Superparasitism and host discrimination byAsobara tabida Nees (Braconidae: Alysiinae), a larval parasitoid of Drosophilidae. Neth J Zool 32:232–260
Van Lenteren JC (1976) The development of host discrimination and the prevention of superparasitism in the parasitePseudeucoila bochei Weld (Hym.: Cynipidae). Neth J Zool 26:1–83
Van Lenteren JC (1981) Host discrimination by parasitoids. In: Nordlund DA, Jones RL, Lewis WJ (eds) Semiochemicals: their role in pest control. John Wiley & Sons, New York, pp 153–179
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Takasu, K., Hirose, Y. The parasitoidOoencyrtus nezarae (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) prefers hosts parasitized by conspecifics over unparasitized hosts. Oecologia 87, 319–323 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00634585
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00634585