Host makes the difference: the effect of two planthopper host species on host-feeding and parasitism activities of the pincer wasp Gonatopus bonaerensis

ESPINOSA, MARTÍN S.; VAN NIEUWENHOVE, GUIDO A.; VIRLA, EDUARDO G.

BIOCONTROL (DORDRECHT)

SPRINGER

Año: 2019

1386-6141

Females of Gonatopus bonaerensis Virla(Hym.: Dryinidae), a parasitoid of Delphacidae(Hemiptera), practices host-feeding. It was demonstrated for several species of Dryinidae that hostmortality caused by host-feeding is greater than thatcaused by parasitism. Here we investigated the effectof host species, host age, and the age of femaleparasitoids on both parasitism and host-feeding ratesthroughout the female lifetime. Experiments weredone exposing the planthoppers Delphacodes sitareaRemes Lenicov & Teso´n, the most common host, andPeregrinus maidis(Ashmead), an occasional host. Thehosts have a very strong influence on biological traitsand on the behavior of this pincer wasp. Females of G.bonaerensis lived longer in presence of D. sitarea.Faced with its usual host, the parasitoid killed moreplanthoppers by parasitism than by host-feeding, butin front of its occasional host, predation prevailed.Regardless of the host, younger nymphs were the mostattacked both for host-feeding and oviposition.