Abstract
The common parasite species attacking Trichoplusia ni (Hubner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in southern California were investigated in the laboratory to demonstrate discriminatory abilities. Copidosoma truncatellum (Dalman) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), a polyembryonic, egg-larval parasite, exhibited time-dependent, intraspecific discrimination. The solitary larval parasite, Microplitis brassicae Muesebeck (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), discriminated between unparasitized hosts and those parasitized by Hyposoter exiguae (Viereck) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) or M. brassicae , but did not discriminate hosts containing C. truncatelium immatures. Multiple parasitization by these two species in hosts containing C. truncatellum resulted in successful development of C. truncatellum in most cases, with some hosts yielding M. brassicae or H. exiguae . In studies with Varia ruralis (Fallen) (Diptera: Tachinidae), the hymenopterous parasites had a competitive advantage when multiple parasitization occurred, but in the case of C. truncatellum, timing of parasitization by V. ruralis affected the results, with some 7- to 9-day-old hosts producing both C. truncatellum and V. ruralis .
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