Host-parasite relationships and life cycles of cuckoo wasps in agro-ecosystems in Argentina (Hymenoptera, Chrysididae, Chrysidini)

JUAN PABLO TORRETTA

JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY

TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2015 vol. 49 p. 1641 - 1651

0022-2933

Chrysididae is a diverse group of parasitoid/cleptoparasitic wasps, however, host-parasite relationships and life cycle of few species have been studied. Nests of different wasp and bee species were obtained during a trap-nesting program, in the Pampean Region. Some of these nests were parasitized by cuckoo wasps females of Caenochrysis taschenbergi (Mocsáry), Chrysis boutheryi (Brèthes), C. saltana Bohart, C. sp. 1 (ignita-group), C. sp. 2 (ignita-group), Neochrysis lecointei (Ducke), Pleurochrysis ancilla (Buysson) and P. lynchi (Bréthes). This paper reports new data about host-parasite relationships and life cycle data for these species. Multiple parasites (from one species or from different families of insects) emerging from single cells of some parasitized nest: from each host cell parasitized by species of Pleurochrysis two adults emerged successfully, information previously unknown for the genus; and in three cases of cells parasitized by C. boutheryi two adults successfully emerged from a single cell, in two cases both individuals were chrysidine, and in third one chrysidine and one Leucospis pulchripes (Leucospidae).