Current Understanding and Future Prospects of Host Selection, Acceptance, Discrimination, and Regulation of Phorid Fly Parasitoids That Attack Ants

Kaitlyn A Mathis,Stacy M Philpott

doi:10.1155/2012/895424

Kaitlyn A Mathis, Stacy M Philpott

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/895424

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Abstract

Phorid fly parasitoids (Diptera: Phoridae) have evolved a diverse array of cues used to successfully parasitize their ant hosts. Successful parasitism often involves (a) host habitat location, (b) host location, (c) host acceptance, (d) host discrimination, and (e) host regulation. In this paper we discuss our current understanding of how phorid flies use each of these steps to successfully parasitize ant hosts. We examine the wide variety of strategies and cues used by a multiple species of phorid flies within three separate genera that most commonly parasitize ants (Apocephalus,Pseudacteon,and Neodohrniphora) and discuss future directions within this field of study.

Highlights

Parasitoids have evolved effective and efficient methods of successful parasitism, many of which involve utilization of multimodal cues [1]
We examine the wide variety of strategies and cues used by multiple species of phorid flies within three separate genera (Apocephalus, Pseudacteon, and Neodohrniphora) to successfully parasitize ant hosts
Pseudacteon obtusus, Pseudacteon borgmeieri, Pseudacteon nuicornis, and Pseudacteon solenopsidis were more often found attacking ants on trails [20, 46]. In another set of studies, P. tricuspis was attracted to the midden of Solenopsis invicta, lending further evidence to the hypothesis that its host location cue is a volatile chemical from the ants themselves [47, 48]

Summary

Introduction

Parasitoids have evolved effective and efficient methods of successful parasitism, many of which involve utilization of multimodal cues [1]. Host habitat location is the use of environmental cues by the parasitoid to select areas to search for potential hosts. Once a phorid parasitoid has located a potential host through long-range cues, the parasitoid requires host acceptance cues to trigger the parasitoid’s oviposition behavior. In addition to the cues that are required for overall host selection, host discrimination cues, used by parasitoids to detect and reject potential hosts that have been previously parasitized, can be present. While these cues are not necessary for parasitism, they can increase the likelihood of offspring success [1]. We examine the wide variety of strategies and cues used by multiple species of phorid flies within three separate genera (Apocephalus, Pseudacteon, and Neodohrniphora) to successfully parasitize ant hosts

Host Habitat Location

Host Location

Host Acceptance

Host Discrimination

Host Regulation

Conclusions and Future Prospects