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Following a scented beetle: larval faeces as a key olfactory cue in host location of Stegobium paniceum (Coleoptera: Anobiidae) by Lariophagus distinguendus (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae)

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Abstract

Lariophagus distinguendus (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) is a generalist solitary ectoparasitoid parasitising immature stages of at least 11 foodstuff beetles from five families, including species developing in seeds of Poaceae and Fabaceae. In this study, we tested the role of visual and olfactory stimuli affecting L. distinguendus host location in the trophic context of Stegobium paniceum (Coleoptera: Anobiidae) infesting chickpeas, Cicer arietinum (Fabales: Fabaceae). When either visual plus olfactory cues or olfactory cues alone were provided, S. paniceum-infested chickpeas were more attractive than uninfested chickpeas to naïve L. distinguendus females. Larval faeces of S. paniceum also evoked strong attraction to female wasps. Uninfested chickpeas covered with host faeces were preferred over uninfested ones without faeces, while infested chickpeas were as attractive as healthy chickpeas plus host faeces. Overall, results demonstrated that L. distinguendus females orient their host-seeking decisions mainly on the basis of faeces-borne olfactory stimuli. Further research is on-going to characterise the volatiles from S. paniceum larval faeces to evaluate their attractiveness towards L. distinguendus females.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Dr. Steven L. Heydon (Bohart Museum of Entomology, University of California at Davis, CA, USA) for pteromalid identification, Prof. Mario Macchia (University of Pisa) for providing the S. paniceum-infested chickpeas, Immacolata Iovinella and Giulia Giunti (University of Pisa) for superb assistance. Special thanks are due to Prof. Russell H. Messing (University of Hawaii at Manoa, Kauai Agricultural Research Center, USA) for his insightful critical comments on an early version of the manuscript.

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  1. Entomology Section, Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, via San Michele degli Scalzi 2, 56124, Pisa, Italy

    Giovanni Benelli, Noemi Pacini, Barbara Conti & Angelo Canale

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  1. Giovanni Benelli
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  2. Noemi Pacini
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  3. Barbara Conti
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  4. Angelo Canale
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Correspondence to Giovanni Benelli.

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Benelli, G., Pacini, N., Conti, B. et al. Following a scented beetle: larval faeces as a key olfactory cue in host location of Stegobium paniceum (Coleoptera: Anobiidae) by Lariophagus distinguendus (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae). Chemoecology 23, 129–136 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00049-012-0125-7

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