Host gut microorganisms’ cues mediate orientation behaviour in the larva of the parasitoid<i>Mallophora ruficauda</i>

Groba, Hernán Federico; Castelo, Marcela K.

doi:10.1017/s0007485315000838

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Regarding M. ruficauda , we had already established that this species uses the chemical cues present in the fermentation chamber of C. signaticollis during host orientation [ 24 , 26 ]. We found a 0.827 probability of orienting to a healthy host ( Table 4 ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These results are in clear support for the microorganism-based host orientation. Furthermore, host orientation in M. ruficauda has been well established as parasitoid larvae are attracted to extracts from the fermentation chamber of C. signaticollis [ 26 ]. Regarding host specificity, M. ruficauda larvae were only attracted to C. signaticollis and C. putrida , two very related Dynastinae species but not to C. modesta nor to other species like P. bonariensis or H. bonariensis [ 31 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Orientation to the host is mediated by chemical cues arising from microorganisms inhabiting the hosts’ fermentation chamber but the identity of the symbionts generating them is unknown [ 25 ]. It is thought that these substances are involved in the host chemical communication system that parasitoid larvae can exploit [ 26 ]. Previous information has shown that M. ruficauda larvae can assess host instar and parasitism status of the host through these chemical cues [ 23 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Microorganismal Cues Involved in Host-Location in Asilidae Parasitoids

Castelo

Crespo

2022

Biology

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Parasitoids are organisms that kill their host before completing their development. Typical parasitoids belong to Hymenoptera, whose females search for the hosts. But some atypical Diptera parasitoids also have searching larvae that must orientate toward, encounter, and accept hosts, through cues with different levels of detectability. In this work, the chemical cues involved in the detection of the host by parasitoid larvae of the genus Mallophora are shown with a behavioral approach. Through olfactometry assays, we show that two species of Mallophora orient to different host species and that chemical cues are produced by microorganisms. We also show that treating potential hosts with antibiotics reduces attractiveness on M. ruficauda but not to M. bigoti suggesting that endosymbiotic bacteria responsible for the host cues production should be located in different parts of the host. In fact, we were able to show that M. bigoti is attracted to frass from the most common host. Additionally, we evaluated host orientation under a context of interspecific competence and found that both parasitoid species orient to Cyclocephaala signaticollis showing that host competition could occur in the field. Our work shows how microorganisms mediate orientation to hosts but differences in their activity or location in the host result in differences in the attractiveness of different cues. We show for the first time that M. bigoti behaves similar to M. ruficauda extending and reinforcing that all Mallophora species have adopted a parasitoid lifestyle.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%