ABSTRACT:
The aim of the present study was to investigate the parasitism of two fruit fly species by different Diachasmimorpha longicaudata strains. Females of two parasitoid strains were reared on Ceratitis capitata or Anastrepha fraterculus that were conditioned in adapted containers. Individual parasitoids were offered 20 larvae for 1 h, using no-choice (20 C. capitata or 20 A. fraterculus) or free-choice (10 of each species) assays. Parasitism was verified by counting scars, and the pupae were classified as non-parasitized (no scars), parasitized (one scar), or superparasitized (multiple scars). Parasitism intensity was compared by evaluating the proportions of non-parasitized, parasitized, and superparasitized larvae. Parasitism intensity and scar frequency were analyzed as functions of host species and parasitoid strain, using chi-square tests. In the non-choice tests, females of both parasitoid strains parasitized the larvae, regardless of host species. However, when the parasitoids had a choice, they preferred to superparasitize A. fraterculus larvae, which are larger than C. capitata larvae. In addition, the female parasitoids parasitized most of the host larvae, regardless of parasitoid strain or host species. However, the frequency of non-parasitized pupae was higher when the offered host species was different from the one in which the parasitoid was reared, and the frequency of superparasitized pupae was higher when the offered host species was the same as the one in which the parasitoid was reared.
KEYWORDS:
Superparasitism; host preference; parasitoid
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