Influence of visual cues on oviposition site searching and learning behavior in the parasitic beetle Dastarcus helophoroides (Fairmaire) (Coleoptera: Bothrideridae)

Abstract

Color cues play a key role in the location of hosts and host habitats; learning behavior can allow parasitoids to explore different hosts and reduce environmental uncertainty. However, it remains unclear whether the parasitic beetle Dastarcus helophoroides (Fairmaire) uses and learns visual cues to locate oviposition sites. In this study, we investigated the ability of females to respond to colors and associate the presence of a simulated oviposition site—wood with a trough—with colored substrates after training. Two sets of experiments were conducted: (i) investigating the innate preference for substrate coloration and (ii) investigating the ability to learn to associate substrate color with the presence of simulated oviposition sites, with the beetles being trained to respond to different substrate colors with simulated oviposition sites in sessions on 10 consecutive days. The parasitic beetles displayed an innate preference for the black substrate, but this preference changed after the beetles were trained on substrates of different colors. In the associative learning tests, these beetles laid more eggs on the reward-conditioned substrates than on the black substrate after being trained. Our results suggest that visual cues are learned and used by D. helophoroides during their search for and selection of oviposition sites.

Volatile Compounds in Endophyte Infected Festuca arundinacea: Impact on Heteronychus Arator Host Selection

“…Instead, visual and leaf-chemical cues are also involved by H. arator to select the appropriate host. Given that several Coleoptera species are capable of selecting their host via visual cues (Butkewich and Prokopy 1997;Cavaletto et al 2020;Lyu et al 2018), it is reasonable to argue that H. arator selected their host in the four-choice assay based on the visual and leaf-chemical cues, although volatile cues may have played a role.…”

Insights into the evolution of herbivory from a leaf‐mining fly

“…For most immature herbivorous insects, initial access to food largely depends on maternal oviposition choices. These choices are informed by visual (Lyu et al, 2018; Nagaya et al, 2021) and chemosensory (Goldman‐Huertas et al, 2015; Matsunaga et al, 2022) cues relaying information about environmental conditions. Although ovipositing females generally lay eggs where larval survival is expected to be high, there are some instances where eggs are laid on less suitable hosts, for example, when more suitable hosts are rare, or the costs of egg laying are low (i.e., when a female has high fecundity) (Jaenike, 1978).…”

Chromosome‐level genome assembly of Dastarcus helophoroides provides insights into CYP450 genes expression upon insecticide exposure

“…Dastarcus helophoroides (Fairmaire) (Coleoptera: Bothrideridae) is an important ectoparasitoid of Cerambycidae beetles that is widely used in their biological control 7–9 . Indoor mass‐reared Dastarcus helophoroides has been widely released into woodland and achieved significant results of controlling Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky), Monochamus alternatus , Massicus raddei (Blessig), Batocera horsfieldi (Hope), and Apriona swainsoni (Hope) around China 10,11 .…”

“…5,6 Dastarcus helophoroides (Fairmaire) (Coleoptera: Bothrideridae) is an important ectoparasitoid of Cerambycidae beetles that is widely used in their biological control. [7][8][9] Indoor mass-reared Dastarcus helophoroides has been widely released into woodland and achieved significant results of controlling Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky), Monochamus alternatus, Massicus raddei (Blessig), Batocera horsfieldi (Hope), and Apriona swainsoni (Hope) around China. 10,11 By releasing the parasitoid, the highest and average parasitism rate of Dastarcus helophoroides on Monochamus alternatus were 92.6% and 88.6% in the first year, respectively, and the spread of pine wilt disease vectored by Monochamus alternatus had been successfully controlled.…”