Matching host reactions to parasitoid wasp vibrations

Abstract

The sensory ecology of predator detection by prey has been little studied for any arthropod prey - predator system, in contrast to the sensory ecology of prey finding by predators. The aim of this study was to quantify the foraging signals produced by the parasitoid Sympiesis sericeicornis (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) and the sensory ecology of enemy detection and the avoidance behaviour of the leaf-mining host, Phylonorycter spp. (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae). We used synthetic vibrations approximating the signals generated by ovipositor insertions to stimulate the host in its mine. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first manipulative study to describe a match in the frequency range between a parasitoid foraging stimulus and a host behavioural response. We discuss our findings in relation to other predator-prey systems for which a coevolution between prey sensitivity and predator signal has been described.