Attack Behavior of Elasmus polistis Burks (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) in Nest of Polistes versicolor (Oliver) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) and its Defensive Behavior

Abstract

Abstract. The attack behavior of Elaumus polistis Burks in the nest cells of Polistes versicolor (Oliver) was recorded for the first time in SouthAmerica. We observed that E. polistis flies in front of the P. versicolor nest, enters inside it and oviposits on wasps prepupae and pupae, possibly through the cells that compose the nest. Despite the obvious defensive behavior of the wasps described here, we found that E. polistis is efficient in parasitizing the pupae.Keywords: Ectoparasitoid; Eulophinae; Circular formation; Host; Neotropical. Arms races are generally viewed as attack-defense "games" which occur over long periods of time, gradually shaping species interactions (Futuyma & slatkin 1983;dietl & kelley 2002). Thus, the coevolutionary analyzes are increasing their importance to ecological, epidemiological and conservation biology studies, since they began to realize how quickly the results of interactions between species can change (tHompson 2001). Comportamento de Ataque de Elasmus polistisAccording Jolivet et al. (1990), circular defense strategy (cycloalexy) is found irregularly in the animal kingdom, and attains perfection in some leaf-beetles and sawflies. It is intimately linked to aggressive displays (biting, regurgitation, reflex-bleeding). However dury et al. (2014) conducted a review in which they proposed three criteria needed to define this behavior: (1) individuals form a circle; (2) defensive attributes of the individuals are positioned on the periphery of the circle, and as a result, the periphery of the circle uniformly contains either heads or abdomens and, (3) animals preemptively adopt the circle as a resting formation, meaning it is not necessary to observe predation.Elasmus is the only genus of the Elasmini (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), which includes 248 described species and has a cosmopolitan distribution (noyes 2014). The larvae of most Elasmus species are gregarious and primary ectoparasitoids of Hispinae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) (Coote 1997) and Lepidoptera larvae or prepupae, but some species are secondary parasitoids of Braconidae and Ichneumonidae prepupae (Gibson 1993) and others are primary ectoparasitoids of Vespidae (Polistes) (Coote 1997;dorFey & koHler 2011).The species Elasmus polistis Burks (Figure 1) is known as a gregarious parasitoid of Polistes prepupae or pupae (nelson 1976), whereas most of the registrations have occurred in North America (reed & vinson 1979;maCom & landolt 1995) and only one in Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul state) (dorFey & köHler 2011). Despite reports of hosts used by the wasps of the genus Elasmus, there are no detailed descriptions of Polistes versicolor (Oliver) defensive behavior facing the attacks of E. polistis. In this study we describe the behaviors that mediate this interaction in four nests of P. versicolor.The observations were carried out between 3:00 and 6:00 p.m. on March 6, 2013 and February 2 to 10, 2015 on the premises of the Base Ecológica da Serra do Japi (23°15′S, 46°57′W), located in Jundiaí, São Paulo, Brazil, at an elevati...