Finding Prospective Mates by the Parasitoid WaspUrolepis rufipes(Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae)

Abstract

Cues from emergence sites may be predictive of mating opportunities if potential mates are slow to disperse after emergence, and particularly if emergence sites are clumped, as in the solitary parasitoid wasp Urolepis rufipes Ashmead. Males emerge before females, and the present study suggests that males may use emergence sites of conspecific males to locate mates. In choice experiments, virgin males spent more time on a male-emerged host (a host from which a male had recently emerged) than on a female-emerged host. Relative to when no host was present, virgin males also marked more in the presence of a male-emerged host, but did not mark more in the presence of a female-emerged host. Females, but not other males, are known to be attracted to male marks. Unlike for males, there was no evidence that females distinguished between male-emerged and female-emerged hosts. Virgin females preferred areas where multiple males had marked over areas where a single male had marked. Such areas had more total marks, yet marks per male did not differ between aggregated and solitary males. Thus, through his own attraction to male-emerged hosts and by marking near other males a male may find and attract females, and with no apparent increase in the cost of attraction.

Male Sex Pheromone of the Parasitoid Wasp Urolepis rufipes Demonstrates Biosynthetic Switch Between Fatty Acid and Isoprenoid Metabolism Within the Nasonia Group

“…Furthermore, Ur males increase marking activity in the presence of females and when fed honey (Cooper and King, 2015). Virgin females prefer areas where multiple males have marked over areas where a single male has marked (Wittman et al, 2016). Taken together, these results suggest that Ur males use a substrate-borne sex pheromone in a similar manner as described for Nasonia males.…”

Parasitoids as taxonomists: how does the parasitoid Chouioia cunea distinguish between a host and a non‐host?

“…4 The infochemicals parasitoids exploit are plant volatiles [5][6][7][8] or herbivore-associated chemicals such as pheromones. [9][10][11][12] Many studies have identified infochemical components emitted from different host's herbivore stages (eggs, larvae/nymphs, pupae, adults) and host herbivore by-products (e.g., frass, honeydew, exuviae, mandibular gland secretions, defense secretions, etc.). [13][14][15][16] These host compounds play a key role that might guide the parasitoids locating decisions.…”

The males of the parasitoid wasp,Nasonia vitripennis, can identify which fly hosts contain females

“…These include the use of trail sex pheromone deposited by females in Aphelinus asychis (Fauvergue et al, 1995), Aphytis melinus (Bernal and Luck, 2007), and Trichogramma brassicae (Pompanon et al, 1997). Urolepis rufipes use territorial markings (Cooper and King, 2015) and emergence sites of conspecific males (Wittman et al, 2016) to attract females. In some parasitoid wasps, mate-finding involves using chemical cues from the hosts themselves (Vinson, 1976).…”