Oviposition Behavior of Hylemya (Delia) sp. (Diptera: Anthomyiidae): Suboptimal Host Plant Choice?1

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Abstract
Host species preference tests were performed on two groups of the seed predator Hylemya (Della) sp. to determine oviposition choice. One group was captured in the field while ovipositing on Ipomopsis aggregata. The second group came from the confamilial Polemonium foliosissimum. A dimorphism was discovered, with each group preferring the plant species upon which it was originally found. However, egg mortality was greater on I. aggregata, suggesting that P. foliosissimum should always be the preferred host. These results are therefore evolutionarily paradoxical. Selection of a specific individual on which to oviposit is based on similar criteria in both plant species. There is a positive correlation between egg deposition and inflorescence size. There is also a positive association between inflorescence size and pollinator visitation frequency, making it likely that flowers chosen as oviposition sites will set enough seeds to ensure full larval development. Thus, regardless of host species preference, oviposition behavior within a species appears to be adaptive.

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