INVESTIGADORES
CASTELO Marcela Karina
artículos
Título:
Orientation mechanisms and sensory organs involved in host location in a dipteran parasitoid larva.
Autor/es:
CRESPO. J.E.; LAZZARI, C.R.; CASTELO, M.K.
Revista:
JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY
Editorial:
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
Referencias:
Lugar: Amsterdam, The Nedherlands; Año: 2011 vol. 57 p. 191 - 196
ISSN:
0022-1910
Resumen:
The robber fly Mallophora ruficauda is one
of the principal pests of apiculture in the Pampas region of Argentina. Larvae
are solitary ectoparasitoids of third-instar scarab beetle larvae. Females of M.
ruficauda do not lay eggs on or near the hosts, but on tall grasses. After
hatching, larvae are dispersed by the wind and drop to the ground, where they
dig and search for potential hosts. It is known that second-instar larvae of M.
ruficauda exhibit active host-searching behaviour towards their preferred
hosts, i.e., third-instar larvae of Cyclocephala signaticollis. Although
host-location seems to be mediated by chemical cues, the mechanism of
orientation and the sensory organs involved in host location remain unknown. We
carried out behavioural experiments in the laboratory to address these
questions. We also tested whether the orientation behaviour is exclusively
based on the use of chemical cues. We found that larvae of M. ruficauda detect
the chemicals with chemosensilla on the maxillary palps. Only one maxillary
palp suffices for orientation, but their bilateral ablation abolishes
orientation. Besides, an hexane extract of the host body was as attractive as a
live host. Our results support that M. ruficauda larvae find their hosts
underground by means of chemoklinotaxis.