Kairomone stimulates increased probes and host stings in a cleptoparasitoid

Abstract.  Eupelmus vuilleti acts as a cleptoparasitoid when encountering a host parasitized by Dinarmus basalis . The encounter of a parasitized host stimulates an increasing number of ovipositor probes directly above the parasitized host, an increasing number of host stings and the destruction of approximately 40% of the D. basalis eggs. The stimulation of ovipositor probes appears to be due to the detection of a stimulus that is different from the stimulus allowing interspecific host discrimination. It appears that a proteinacious substance produced by the D. basalis venom gland and deposited on the edge of the drilled hole induces probing behaviour of E. vuilleti .