Insect Science (2006) 13, 229-233

Emi Ito and Yoshihiro Y. Yamada (2006)
Seemingly maladaptive refraining from infanticidal probing at the third parasitism attack by the semi-solitary parasitoid Echthrodelphax fairchildii (Hymenoptera: Dryinidae)
Insect Science 13 (3), 229-233
Abstract: We assessed the adaptiveness of refraining from infanticidal probing at the third attack under triple parasitism in the parasitoid Echthrodelphax fairchildii Perkins, by comparing fitness returns from the third attack with and without probing. Fitness returns were assessed in terms of the survival rate, mean developmental time, and mean adult head width of the progenies. Not probing was maladaptive under triple parasitism with oviposition intervals of 1/24 and 24/24 hours (where the numbers before and after the slash refer to the first-to-second and second-to-third oviposition intervals, respectively), although no significant difference was detected in fitness returns for oviposition intervals of 24/1 hours. We suggest that the cost of probing (especially the decrease in the chance of future ovipositions) is a reason for the seemingly maladaptive absence of probing.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website

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.
Ecthrodelphax fairchildii (parasitoid)