Life history traits and interactions of Stylops advarians (Strepsiptera) with its bee host, Andrena milwaukeensis.

Abstract

Specimens of Stylops advarians were sampled by collecting foraging bees of Andrena milwaukeensis along the South Saskatchewan River within Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. As the foraging season progressed from early May till late June over three consecutive years (2016-2018), most stylopized bees possessed endoparasitic adult (neotenic) females of S. advarians protruding from the bee gaster's dorsum. In contrast, very few adult bees stylopized by male puparia, and no free-living males, were encountered. Over the sampling period, prevalence remained around 22% each year; mean intensity was 1.2 (range of 1-3 female parasites per bee); and parasite abundance was 0.27. Also newly reported for Stylops is the occurrence of one bee bearing four Stylops (two neotenic females and two males with puparia), plus another bee with a male puparium extruded from its gaster's sternites. Around 2 May each year, a high proportion of the earliest captured female bees were stylopized. However, non-stylopized female bees typically were not encountered until about 10 days later, suggesting the parasites manipulate female bee hosts to emerge earlier, in close synchrony to male bee emergence. First-instar larvae of S. advarians appeared from 22-25 May, indicating that adults of S. advarians matured and mated at similar times each season.