IngentaConnect The natural history of the parasitic wasp Trogus pennator (Hymeno...

Abstract:

The parasitic wasp Trogus pennator (Ichneumonidae) attacks the larvae of swallowtail butterflies (Papilionidae). Female T. pennator were followed in the field as they searched for larvae of the zebra swallowtail butterfly, Eurytides marcellus (Papilionidae), feeding on Asimina (Annonaceae) in central Florida, USA. Predictions of host-finding theory and interactions with the host were thus investigated in a natural setting. Wasps seldom flew to plants other than Asimina and apparently recognized the plants by visual cues. Plants were attractive regardless of host presence, as the wasps approached plants lacking E. marcellus feeding damage twice as often as they approached damaged plants. However, wasps approached damaged plants at a rate greater than their frequency in the Asimina population, indicating that they can detect host damage before they approach the plants. After approaching within 0.5?m of plants, wasps tended not to land on plants lacking feeding damage. A comparison of the plants they landed on, however, showed no consistent preferences for damaged plants. The weaker trends in the latter data indicate that the presence of feeding damage was not the sole criterion for landing, although it evidently influenced behaviour. After landing, wasps spent more time searching damaged plants than undamaged plants. Butterflies preferred to oviposit on plants shorter than those searched by T. pennator. Possible adaptive consequences of this phenomenon are discussed.

Keywords: Field observations; host‐finding behaviour; Ichneumonidae; Papilionidae; parasitic wasp

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1080/00222930400004370

Affiliations: 1: Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA

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The natural history of the parasitic wasp Trogus pennator (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae): Host‐finding behaviour and a possible host countermeasure