Annals of the Entomological Society of America (2004) 97, 592-599

Tanja McKay and Alberto B. Broce (2004)
Discrimination of self-parasitized hosts by the pupal parasitoid Muscidifurax zaraptor (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae)
Annals of the Entomological Society of America 97 (3), 592-599
Abstract: Females of Muscidifurax zaraptor Kogan and Legner, a solitary pupal parasitoid of house flies, Musca domestica L., discriminated between hosts previously parasitized by themselves and by conspecifics. When hosts were in short supply, females avoided self-superparasitism and laid eggs in hosts that had been previously parasitized by conspecifics. When females were given a choice to oviposit in unparasitized pupae and hosts previously parasitized by themselves and conspecifics, females avoided superparasitism. Superparasitism seems to be avoided by the use of short-term memory of the position of the pupae and the use of internal host cues. Females did not respond to external cues. The adaptive significance of superparasitism in M. zaraptor is discussed.
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Database assignments for author(s): Tanja McKay

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Musca domestica
Muscidifurax zaraptor (parasitoid)	Musca domestica