Olfactory response of two aphid parasitoids, Lysiphlebus testaceipes and Aphidius colemani , to aphid-infested plants from a distance

The role of volatile stimuli in the host-searching behaviour of the two parasitoid species Lysiphlebus testaceipes Cresson and Aphidius colemani Viereck (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) was studied in relation to the host Aphis gossypii Glover (Homoptera: Aphididae) on cucumber plants, Cucumis sativa L. (Cucurbitaceae). Experiments were carried out in the laboratory in a wind tunnel, exposing individual parasitoids to signals from three sources simultaneously: (1) a complex of cucumber plants, Cucumis sativa , and A. gossypii ; (2) uninfested cucumber plants; and (3) dummy cardboard plants. The flight response of the female parasitoids was considered oriented when they landed on plants and non-oriented when the females landed elsewhere (tunnel floor, sides, or top). Results showed that the proportion of oriented flights was significantly higher than non-oriented flights. A comparison between the two wasp species suggested that A. colemani females may be better able to locate plants than L. testaceipes , as the proportion of females that made an oriented flight was higher in this species . For females of both wasp species which made an oriented flight, landing was more often observed on real plants (i.e., with no difference between infested and uninfested plants), than on dummy plants. A description of the flight behaviour of the two parasitoid species is presented. One difference between the species was that flight duration was higher in L. testaceipes than in A. colemani . This work shows that the two parasitoid species respond to stimuli from the host-plants of A. gossypii in a similar way to parasitoids of aphid pests in other crops.