Abstract
White grubs are larvae of Coleoptera of the family Scarabaeidae. They are known because of their intensive feeding habits on crop roots. Mallophora ruficauda (Diptera: Asilidae) is a dipteran parasitoid whose larva is a natural enemy for white grubs. This species is a solitary ectoparasitoid, where both female and larva realize different steps in the host location process. Female place its eggs in high grasslands and then, the larva finds and parasitizes the host in the ground. There are nine potential hosts in the area of action of this parasitoid; however a high preference for Cyclocephala signaticollis has been observed (87% of field parasitism). It is known that many insects have developed defensive and immunological mechanisms when attacked by a parasitoid, which can be behavioral, physiological, chemical or genetic. The objectives of this work were to investigate what kind of defense and non-immunological associated mechanisms the white grubs have against this parasitoid and to understand why M. ruficauda have such a high preference for masked chafer grubs or Cyclocephala species. In particular, for each white grub species, we asked: (1) If there is a differential behavioral reaction when a parasitoid attack is simulated; (2) If body attributes of white grubs species have influence on defense behavior, and particularly for the masked chafer C. signaticollis; and (3) Why this species is the most selected by M. ruficauda. It was found that behavioral defenses of white grubs would explain the parasitism pattern of M. ruficauda larvae and its preference for C. signaticollis.
Highlights
Parasitoids are extremely abundant insects composing, together with their phytophagous hosts and the plants they feed on, a huge percentage of the worldwide biodiversity [1]
In this work we studied the non-immunological defenses white grubs have against the parasitoid
This difference indicates that the first defenses, or pre-parasitism defenses, occurring when the parasitoid contacts the host are not the only ones involved in the interaction between M. ruficauda and hosts
Summary
Parasitoids are extremely abundant insects composing, together with their phytophagous hosts and the plants they feed on, a huge percentage of the worldwide biodiversity [1]. These organisms show a wide array of lifestyles, behaviors and strategies IRUSDUDVLWL]LQJDQGDYRLGLQJKRVW¶VGHIHQses against them [2]. Phytophagous insects have evolved defenses against predators and parasitoids, including chemical, behavioral, morphological, and physiological mechanisms, or a combination of each [4] These defenses comprise steps that are hierarchical and successive. Physiological defenses act inside the prey body These kinds of defenses include cellular and humoral mechanisms for resisting endoparasitoids, parasites, and pathogens, such as encapsulation and melanization [4,5]. Both avoidance and physiological mechanisms have been shown to be involved in shaping the interaction of host-parasitoid systems [4]
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