INVESTIGADORES
SEGURA Diego Fernando
artículos
Título:
Response of the fruit fly parasitoid Diachasmimorpha longicaudata to host and host-habitat volatile cues
Autor/es:
DF SEGURA; MARIANA M. VISCARRET; SERGIO M. OVRUSKI; CLADERA, JORGE L
Revista:
ENTOMOLOGIA EXPERIMENTALIS ET APPLICATA
Editorial:
WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC
Referencias:
Año: 2012 p. 164 - 176
ISSN:
0013-8703
Resumen:
Chemical information is crucial to insect parasitoids for successful host location. Here, we evaluated
the innate response ofDiachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a fruit
fly larval parasitoid, to cues from host and host habitat (i.e., fruit infested with host larvae).We first
assessed the preference of female parasitoids between oranges infested with Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann)
(Diptera: Tephritidae) and non-infested fruit. Females were highly attracted towards infested
oranges on the basis of volatile chemical cues. After this initial experiment, we aimed at revealing the
potential sources of volatile cues present in an infested fruit. To this end, we considered five potential
sources: (1) punctured fruit; (2) fly feeding, frass, or host-marking pheromone deposited on the
orange surface; (3) larval activity inside the fruit; (4) the larvae themselves; and (5) fungi associated
with infestation of oranges. Habitat cues associated with host activity and those produced by rotten
oranges or oranges colonized by fungi were highly attractive for female wasps, whereas odours associated
with the activity of the adults on the surface of the fruit, and those released by the fruit after being
damaged (as happens during fruit fly egg-laying)were not used as cues by female parasitoids.Once the
female had landed on the fruit, direct cues associated with larval activity became important although
some indirect signals (e.g., products derived from larval activity inside the fruit) also increased host
searching activity. Our findings indicate that naý¨ve D. longicaudata uses chemical cues during host
habitat searching and that these cues are produced both by the habitat and by the host larvae.