Host handling behavior of the egg parasitoid Telenomus triptus to the egg mass of the stink bug Piezodorus hybneri

Abstract

Host handling behavior of Telenomus triptus Nixon (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) to an egg mass of Piezodorus hybneri Gmelin (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) was studied in the laboratory. Five distinct behavioral events could be distinguished in the host handling behavior: drumming, ovipositor‐insertion, marking, walking, and resting. Female wasps showed two types of behavioral sequence in an ovipositional bout. One consisted of drumming, ovipositor‐insertion, and marking, and the other drumming, ovipositor‐insertion, walking, and resting. Females did not seem to lay an egg when ovipositor‐insertion was not followed by marking. This was observed frequently in the early oviposition bout, on average 2.9 times per female. Females finally succeeded in parasitizing all the eggs in a host egg mass in most cases. The durations of drumming, ovipositor‐insertion, and marking on an egg mass were nearly constant, while the total time spent by a female on and beside a host egg mass varied considerably as a result of variable durations of walking and resting. Self‐superparasitism occurred when almost all the eggs in a host egg mass were parasitized. Females laid the first male egg within the first four eggs; this could be an adaptation to small egg masses or single egg.

Reproductive capacity and host handling behavior of Gryon philippinense (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae), a solitary egg parasitoid of the winter cherry bug, Acanthocoris sordidus Thunberg (Hemiptera: Coreidae)

“…The duration of drumming increased when almost all eggs (16th-19th) in the egg mass were parasitized. Higuchi and Suzuki (1996) reported a similar situation regarding the increased duration of drumming of Te. triptus Nixon in the egg mass of the stinkbug, Piezodorus hybneri Gmelin (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae).…”

“…At least these females always returned persistently with an averageϮSE of 18.3Ϯ5.8 s to the same host egg and exhibited ovipositor insertion and marking behavior. The behavior of leaving the host egg without marking suggested an unsuccessful oviposition trial (Higuchi and Suzuki, 1996), as exhibited by Te. triptus in the host eggs of P. hybneri.…”

Oviposition behaviour of Gryon gallardoi (Hymenoptera, Scelionidae) on eggs of different ages of Spartocera dentiventris (Hemiptera, Coreidae)

“…The oviposition behaviour of many Scelionidae species was already described by different authors (STRAND & VINSON, 1983;CAVE et al, 1987;ORR et al, 1986;NAVASERO & OATMAN, 1989;COLAZZA et al, 1996;HIGUCHI & SUZUKI, 1996;WEBER et al, 1996;ROMEIS et al, 2000;ROSI et al, 2001;HIROSE et al, 2003), however there are few sources associating behavioural changes to modifications in host condition and quality.…”

“…The study of parasitoid oviposition behaviour is of fundamental importance to an understanding of the processes involved in host selection and acceptance and to the development of biological control programmes ORR, 1988;HIGUCHI & SUZUKI, 1996;VINSON, 1998). In this context, a series of researches have been developed worldwide, both with egg parasitoids of solitary or semi-gregarious habits (STRAND & VINSON, 1983;NAVASERO & OATMAN, 1989;COLAZZA et al, 1996;CONTI et al, 1997;ROSI et al, 2001;SOLIS et al, 2001;HIROSE et al, 2003;WIEDEMANN et al, 2003;DASILAO & ARAKAWA, 2004) and with those of gregarious habits SCHIMIDT & SMITH, 1987;HINTZ & ANDOW, 1990;RUBERSON & KRING, 1993).…”

Selection of Bemisia nymphal stages for oviposition or feeding, and host-handling times of arrhenotokous and thelytokous Eretmocerus mundus and arrhenotokous E. eremicus

“…When a parasitoid encounters a potential host, the handling behavior starts with evaluation of the host (van Lenteren et al, 1976). Host evaluation may include several steps such as antennation, probing, and drumming (van Lenteren et al, 1980;Higuchi and Suzuki, 1996;Headrick et al, 1996). In order to select a host, parasitoid females may use chemical cues or physical features of the host such as size, shape and texture (van Driesche and Bellows, 1996).…”