Abstract
The megaspilidDendrocerus carpenteri (Curtis) is a solitary ectohyperparasitoid of aphid primary parasitoids. It avoids superparasitism, but the avoidance rate depends on the amount of time elapsed after the first oviposition. In addition, females discriminate in a time-dependent manner between hosts parasitized by themselves and hosts parasitized by conspecifics. They recognize parasitized hosts by means of two externally perceivable chemical markers that are deposited on the mummy shell. One of the markers is highly active, short-lived, not passable through gas chromatography (GC), and freezing sensitive; the other is moderately active, persistent, GC-passable and freezing tolerant. Using two markers is believed to be advantageous for the hyperparasitoid female, as their ratio provides information on mark age and on the producer of the mark (the female herself or a conspecific female).
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bennett, F.D. 1981. Hyperparasitism in the practice of biological control, pp. 43–49,in D. Rosen (ed.). The Role of Hyperparasitism in Biological Control: A Symposium. Division of Agricultural Sciences, University of California, Berkeley.
Bocchino, F.J., andSullivan, D.J. 1981. Effects of venoms from two aphid hyperparasitoids,Asaphes lucens andDendrocerus carpenteri (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae and Megaspilidae), on larvae ofAphidius smithi (Hymenoptera: Aphidiidae).Can. Entomol. 113:887–889.
Brownlee, R.G., andSilverstein, R.M. 1968. A micro-preparative gas Chromatograph and a modified carbon skeleton determinator.Anal. Chem. 40:2077–2079.
Chow, F.J., andMackauer, M. 1986. Host discrimination and larval competition in the aphid parasiteEphedrus californicus.Entomol. Exp. Appl. 41:243–254.
Dessart, P. 1972. Révision des espèces européennes du genreDendrocerus Ratzeburg, 1852 (Hymenoptera Ceraphronoidea).Mem. Soc. R. Belge Entomol. 32:1–310.
Guillot, F.S., andVinson, S.B. 1972. Sources of substances which elicit a behavioural response from the insect parasitoid,Campoletis perdistinctus.Nature 235:169–170.
Guillot, F.S., Joiner, R.L., andVinson, S.B. 1974. Host discrimination: Isolation of hydrocarbons from Dufour's gland of a braconid parasitoid.Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 67:720–721.
Harrison, E.G., Fisher, R.C., andRoss, K.M. 1985. The temporal effects of Dufour's gland secretion in host discrimination byNemeritis canescens.Entomol. Exp. Appl. 38:215–220.
Haviland, M.D. 1920. On the bionomics and development ofLygocerus testaceimanus, Kieffer, andLygocerus cameroni, Kieffer (Proctotrypoidea-Ceraphronidae), parasites ofAphidius (Braconidae).Q. J. Microsc. Sci. 65:101–127.
Höller, C. (1988). Effizienzanalyse der Parasitoiden an Getreideblattläusen. PhD thesis. University of Kiel.
Hofsvang, T. 1988. Mechanisms of host discrimination and intraspecific competition in the aphid parasitoidEphedrus cerasicola.Entomol. Exp. Appl. 48:233–240.
Hubbard, S.F., Marris, G., Reynolds, A., andRowe, G.W. 1987. Adaptive patterns in the avoidance of superparasitism by solitary parasitic wasps.J. Anim. Ecol. 56:387–401.
Le Ralec, A. 1988. Study on the modelSitobion avenae-Aphidius uzbekistanicus-Dendrocerus carpenteri: The hyperparasitoid ovipositor, sting, egg and first instars of development, pp. 125–126,in B. Bouletreau and G. Bonnot (eds.). Parasitoid Insects. Les Colloques de l'INRA No. 48, INRA, Paris.
Lloyd, D.C. 1956. Studies on parasite oviposition behaviour. IMastrus carpocapsae Cushman. (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae).Can. Entomol. 88:80–89.
Mudd, A., Fisher, R.C., andSmith, M.C. 1982. Volatile hydrocarbons of the Dufour's gland of the parasiteNemeretis canescens (Grav.) (Hymenoptera; Ichneumonidae).J. Chem. Ecol. 8:1035–1042.
Pringle, J.W.S. 1938. Proprioception in insects.J. Exp. Biol. 15:101–113.
Rogers, D.J. 1972. The ichneumon waspVenturia canescens: Oviposition and the avoidance of superparasitism.Entomol. Exp. Appl. 15:190–194.
Roitberg, B.D., andMangel, M. 1988. On the evolutionary ecology of marking pheromones.Evol. Ecol. 2:289–315.
Salt, G. 1937. Experimental studies in insect parasitism. V. The sense used byTrichogramma to distinguish between parasitized and unparasitized hosts.Proc. R. Soc. London, Ser. B. 122:57–75.
Stary, P. 1977.Dendrocerus hyperparasites of aphids in Czechoslovakia (Hymenoptera, Ceraphronoidea).Acta Entomol. Bohemoslov. 74:1–9.
Sullivan, D.J. 1988. Hyperparasites, pp. 189–204,in A.K. Minks and P. Harrewijn (eds.). Aphids. Their Biology, Natural Enemies and Control. Vol. B. Elsevier, Amsterdam.
Takada, H. 1973. Studies on aphid hyperparasites of Japan. I. Aphid hyperparasites of the genusDendrocerus Ratzeburg (Hymenoptera: Ceraphronidae).Insecta Matsum. 2:1–37.
Van Alphen, J.J.M., andVisser, M.E. 1990. Superparasitism as an adaptive strategy for insect parasitoids.Annu. Rev. Entomol. 35:000–000.
Van Den Bosch, R. 1981. Specifity of hyperparasites, pp. 27–33,in D. Rosen (ed.). The Role of Hyperparasitism in Biological Control: A Symposium. Division of Agricultural Sciences, University of California, Berkeley.
Van Lenteren, J.C. 1981. Host discrimination by parasitoids, pp. 153–179,in D.A. Nordlund, R.L. Jones, and W.J. Lewis (eds.). Semiochemicals, Their Role in Pest Control. John Wiley, New York.
Van Lenteren, J.C., andDe Bach, P. 1981. Host discrimination in three ectoparasites (Aphytis coheni, A. lingnanensis andA. melinus) of the oleander scale (Aspidiotus nerii).Neth. J. Zool. 31:504–532.
Vinson, S.B. 1977. Behavioral chemicals in the augmentation of natural enemies, pp. 237–279,in R.L. Ridgway and S.B. Vinson (eds.). Biological Control by Augmentation of Natural Enemies. Plenum Press, New York.
Vinson, S.B. 1984. Parasitoid-host relationship, pp. 205–233,in W.J. Bell and R.T. Cardé (eds.). Chemical Ecology of Insects. Chapman and Hall, London.
Vinson, S.B., andGuillot, F.S. 1972. Host marking: Source of a substance that results in host discrimination in insect parasitoids.Entomophaga 17:241–245.
Völkl, W., andMackauer, M. 1990. Age-specific pattern of host discrimination by the parasitoidEphedrus californicus Baker (Hymenoptera: Aphidiidae).Can. Entomol. 122:349–361.
Walker, G.P., andCameron, P.J. 1981. The biology ofDendrocerus carpenteri (Hymenoptera: Ceraphronidae), a parasite ofAphidius species, and field observations ofDendrocerus species as hyperparasites ofAcyrthosiphon.N.Z. J. Zool. 8:531–538.
Yamaguchi, H. 1987. [The role of venom in host discrimination of Ascogaster reticulatus Watnabe.] In Japanese.Jpn. J. Appl. Entomol. Zool. 31:80–82.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
HÖller, C., Williams, H.J. & Vinson, S.B. Evidence for a two-component external marking pheromone system in an aphid hyperparasitoid. J Chem Ecol 17, 1021–1035 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01402931
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01402931