Ovipositor drilling behaviors and host selection in Meteorus pulchricornis Wesmael (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)
Author of the article:FENG Su-Fang** MENG Ling LI Bao-Ping***
Author's Workplace：College of Plant Protection, Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests of Ministry of Education,Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Key Words： host location, host acceptance, learning, oviposition drilling, superparasitism
Abstract： [Objectives] To gain insights into the mechanisms of ovipositor drilling behavior of Meteorus pulchricornis
(Wesmael) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). [Methods] Non-choice trails were performed to measure the influence of ovipositionsequence on decisions with regard to Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) larvae; dual-choice trails were conducted todetect effects of prior experience on oviposition preferences between self- and conspecific-parasitized hosts. [Results] Thenon-choice trials did not find significant effects of oviposition sequence on oviposition duration at the 5% level, but did at the 10%level. Oviposition sequence did not have significant effects on parasitization rate, which was 63.3%, 46.7%, 76.7%, 70.0% and66.7% from the first to fifth host, respectively. The dual-choice trials did not find significant effects of oviposition experience onoviposition preferences between self- and conspecific-parasitized host larvae (P>0.05); percentages of attackingconspecific-parasitized hosts were 65.5%, 44.8%, and 50.0% for parasitoids with the experience of oviposition on healthy, selfandconspecific-parasitized hosts, respectively. Oviposition experience however influenced the oviposition duration of parasitoids,which was reduced by two times for parasitoids with the experience of oviposition on healthy hosts compared to thosewith
experience of oviposition on self-parasitized hosts, but was not different compared to parasitoids with experience of oviposition onconspecific-parasitized hosts. [Conclusion] The results of this study suggest that learning may play a minor role in ovipositionbehavior of M. pulchricornis.