The interactions between Drosophila melanogaster and the parasitoid wasps that infect species provide an important model for understanding host–parasite relationships. Following infection, D. larvae mount a response in which immune cells (hemocytes) form capsule around wasp egg, then melanizes, leading to death of parasitoid. Previous studies have found host hemocyte load; number hemocytes avai...

Trichogramma wasps are tiny parasitoids of lepidopteran eggs, used extensively for biological control. They are often infected with the bacterial symbiont Wolbachia, which converts Trichogramma to an asexual mode of reproduction, whereby females develop from unfertilized eggs. However, this Wolbachia-induced parthenogenesis is not always complete, and previous studies have noted that infected f...

Parent-offspring conflict over clutch size may lead to siblicidal behavior between juveniles. In parasitoid wasps, selection for siblicide in small broods is predicted to produce a dearth of gregarious broods with few eggs. Here we document the clutch size distribution in the Bethylidae, a large family of aculeate parasitoids. Small gregarious clutches are the most common. Further data suggest ...

Detecting danger is one of the foremost tasks for a neural system. Larval parasitoids constitute clear danger to Drosophila, as up to 80% of fly larvae become parasitized in nature. We show that Drosophila melanogaster larvae and adults avoid sites smelling of the main parasitoid enemies, Leptopilina wasps. This avoidance is mediated via a highly specific olfactory sensory neuron (OSN) type. Wh...

To improve biological pest control, we would like to understand the main factors that limit the reproductive success of key biological control agents, including parasitoid wasps. Previous research with proovigenic parasitoids in the genus Anagrus collected from multiple field sites revealed positive correlations between parasitoid fecundity and local host density. In this article, we test wheth...

Polyembryonic wasps are parasitoids that lay their eggs inside the bodies of other insects. These eggs then undergo a clonal phase of development that results in production of multiple genetically identical offspring. Copidosoma floridanum produces up to 3000 morula stage embryos that form an assemblage called a polymorula. Many aspects of C. floridanum development are well studied but comparat...

the use of resistant plant cultivars and parasitoids could be an effective strategy in ipm of liriomyza sativa blanchard. cucumber is a preferable host for this insect. in this research, antixenosis resistance of 17 cultivars of cucumber was evaluated to l. sativae under greenhouse condition. results indicated that there were significant differences between cultivars with regard to the number o...

Diachasma alloeum (Muesebeck) is a braconid parasitoid of Rhagoletis mendax Curran and Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh). Laboratory choice tests using a Y-tube olfactometer compared behavioral responses of D. alloeum to various olfactory stimuli. More than 25% of naïve D. alloeum females, never having experienced R. mendax or blueberries, were ‘innately’ attracted to volatiles emitted from uninfest...

Malaysia is a tropical country that produces commercial fruits, including star fruits, Averrhoa carambola L. (Oxalidales: Oxalidaceae), and guavas, Psidium guajava L. (Myrtales: Myrtaceae). There is a high demand for these fruits, and they are planted for both local consumption and export purposes. Unfortunately, there has been a gradual reduction of these fruits, which has been shown to be rel...

1. We extrapolate a new range of estimates of the species richness of Microgastrinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) wasps, a diverse group of small parasitoids that attack caterpillars of Lepidoptera. 2. Our estimates, using an array of focal study faunas to provide reasonable bounds for minimum and maximum values, range from 17 000 to 46 000+ species. These calculations make use of a geographically...