Discrimination of previously searched,host-free sites byMicroplitis croceipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) |
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Authors: | W. Sheehan F. L. Wäckers W. J. Lewis |
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Affiliation: | (1) U.S. Department of Agriculture, Insect Biology and Population Management Research Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, P.O. Box 748, 31793 Tifton, Georgia;(2) Department of Entomology, Wageningen Agricultural University, P.O. Box 8031, 6700 EH Wageningen, The Netherlands |
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Abstract: | The ability of free- ranging parasitoids to discriminate between previously visited and unvisited sites containing host kairomone (caterpillar frass) but not hosts was tested. Females of Microplitis croceipes,a host specialist and plant generalist larval parasitoid of Helicoverpa (Heliothis) zea,were allowed to fly freely in a simulated plant patch in a flight chamber. Wasps spent less time searching frass sites previously searched by themselves or by conspecifics than unsearched frass sites. In addition to chemical marking, spatial memory of visual cues was implicated as a mechanism for discriminating against self-visited, host-free sites. |
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Keywords: | parasitoid frass site discrimination foraging olfactory visual Microplitis croceipes Helicoverpa zea |
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