Behavioral Interactions of Parasitoids and Baltimore Checkerspot Caterpillars (Euphydryas phaeton)
- 1 February 1982
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Environmental Entomology
- Vol. 11 (1) , 100-104
- https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/11.1.100
Abstract
Braconid wasps, Apanteles euphydryidis, attended webs of their lepidopteran hosts, Euphydryas phaeton, for hours, with one-third of each hour spent searching for caterpillars. Encounters with larvae on the outside of webs were frequent and usually resulted in parasitoids turning away. Head-jerking exhibited by caterpillars was effective in knocking parasitoids away. Ichneumonid wasps, Benjaminia euphydryadis, traveled from web to web, spending less than 1 min per web. Overall, the defensive mechanisms exhibited by the caterpillars and their distribution on and in webs were effective in deterring parasitoids.This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: