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Host Age Response in the Parasitoid Wasp Spalangia cameroni (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae)

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Abstract

Female Spalangia cameroni produced more offspring from younger house fly pupae, both when given a choice of host ages and when not given a choice. Host age did not affect offspring survivorship. Offspring were larger when they had developed on younger hosts and the effect was independent of offspring sex. Having previously parasitized old hosts versus young hosts did not reduce a female's production of offspring in subsequent hosts. Females distinguished between young and old hosts both in the light and in the dark. Females did not distinguish between host ages prior to physical contact with the host but could distinguish by the time they first began exploring a host by tapping it with their antennae; thus, they could distinguish before drilling into a host.

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  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, 60115

    B. H. King

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King, B.H. Host Age Response in the Parasitoid Wasp Spalangia cameroni (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae). Journal of Insect Behavior 11, 103–117 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020822717975

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