Evolution and behavioral ecology of heteronomous aphelinid parasitoids

A chromosome-level genome assembly of the heteronomous hyperparasitoid wasp Encarsia sophia

Encarsia sophia, a heteronomous hyperparasitoid wasp, is a well-known biological control agent, but its genomic information is limited, hindering molecular investigations and understanding of multitrophic interactions. In this study, we present a chromosome-level genome assembly for E. sophia using Illumina, PacBio HiFi, and Hi-C technologies. The assembled genome size is 398.3 Mb, with a contig N50 of 1.0 Mb and a scaffold N50 of 74.0 Mb. The BUSCO completeness score is 97.1%, and genome coverage reaches 99.1%. Utilizing Hi-C assisted assembly, the genome was organized into five chromosomes, with a mounting rate of 95.1%. Repetitive sequences make up 54.6% of the genome, and 14,914 protein-coding genes were predicted, with 95.5% functionally annotated. The high-quality genome assembly of E. sophia is a significant achievement, marking the first complete genome for a heteronomous hyperparasitoid wasp. This milestone offers valuable insights into the evolution and host interactions of heteronomous hyperparasitoids, laying the foundation for extensive research in biological control.

Direct and Indirect Competitive Interactions between Ooencyrtus nezarae and Paratelenomus saccharalis Parasitizing Megacopta cribraria Egg Patches

The present study investigated egg parasitoid interspecific interactions between a generalist, Ooencyrtus nezarae Ishii (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) and a specialist, Paratelenomus saccharalis Dodd (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) in a laboratory setting using kudzu bug (Megacopta cribraria Fabricius, (Hemiptera: Plataspidae)) eggs as their shared host. Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the emergence of wasps from parasitized hosts after the simultaneous and sequential release of wasps, monitor aggressive behavior of P. saccharalis, and quantify intraguild predation of O. nezarae larvae on heterospecific P. saccharalis larvae. Results showed that total host egg parasitism was higher when both wasps were released simultaneously than if wasps were released sequentially. Ooencyrtus nezarae produced more total offspring than P. saccharalis in all sequential/simultaneous treatments but produced male offspring in most cases. In the aggressive behavioral experiment, specialist, P. saccharalis used head butting to fight O. nezarae, but no other aggressions were observed. In an experiment examining intraguild predation, O. nezarae was able to develop in host eggs parasitized by P. saccharalis four days earlier, acting as a superior larval competitor. These findings shed light on the potential interspecific interactions between O. nezarae and P. saccharalis, which may determine their relative abundance and influence their compatibility in kudzu bug biological control programs.

Sex-based de novo transcriptome assemblies of the parasitoid wasp Encarsia suzannae, a host of the manipulative heritable symbiont Cardinium hertigii

Parasitoid wasps in the genus Encarsia are commonly used as biological pest control agents of whiteflies and armored scale insects in greenhouses or the field. They are also hosts of the bacterial endosymbiont Cardinium hertigii, which can cause reproductive manipulation phenotypes, including parthenogenesis, feminization, and cytoplasmic incompatibility (the last is mainly studied in Encarsia suzannae). Despite their biological and economic importance, there are no published Encarsia genomes and only one public transcriptome. Here, we applied a mapping-and-removal approach to eliminate known contaminants from previously-obtained Illumina sequencing data. We generated de novo transcriptome assemblies for both female and male E. suzannae which contain 45,986 and 54,762 final coding sequences, respectively. Benchmarking Single-Copy Orthologs results indicate both assemblies are highly complete. Preliminary analyses revealed the presence of homologs of sex-determination genes characterized in other insects and putative venom proteins. Our male and female transcriptomes will be valuable tools to better understand the biology of Encarsia and their evolutionary relatives, particularly in studies involving insects of only one sex.

Integrative Techniques Confirms the Presence of Bemisia tabaci Parasitoids: Encarsia formosa, Encarsia porteri and Eretmocerus mundus (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) on Soybean and Tomatoes in South Brazil

Parasitoid wasps from the Aphelinidae family (Hymenoptera) are important control agents of Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius, 1889) cryptic species, both through reproduction and feeding processes. Identifying native parasitoid species within agricultural systems affected by Bemisia whitefly species is the first step to developing guidelines for the creation and release of biological control agents aiming at this highly damaging pest species complex. Taxonomic and phylogenetic analyses based on morphological and molecular characters, respectively, confirmed the occurrence of Encarsia formosa (Gahan, 1924) in greenhouse tomatoes from Santa Maria, Encarsia porteri (Mercet, 1928) in open-field soybean from Santa Maria, and Eretmocerus mundus Mercet, 1931 in greenhouse tomatoes from São José do Hortêncio, all within Rio Grande do Sul state (South Brazil). This is the first report of En. formosa, En. porteri and Er. mundus parasitising B. tabaci in South Brazil, and the first En. porteri partial mtCOI gene sequence being reported and characterised. The high temperature inside the tomato greenhouses can be a possible cause for the predominance of Er. mundus in São José do Hortêncio, and sex ratios in the surveyed populations point to female and male prevalence within Encarsia and Eretmocerus genera, respectively. The combined use of taxonomic and molecular characterisation highlights the importance of combining both morphological and molecular approaches in the assessment of previously unidentified whitefly parasitoids.

Cardinium Localization During Its Parasitoid Wasp Host's Development Provides Insights Into Cytoplasmic Incompatibility

Arthropods harbor heritable intracellular symbionts that may manipulate host reproduction to favor symbiont transmission. In cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), the symbiont sabotages the reproduction of infected males such that high levels of offspring mortality result when they mate with uninfected females. In crosses with infected males and infected females, however (the “rescue” cross), normal numbers of offspring are produced. A common CI-inducing symbiont, Cardinium hertigii, causes variable levels of CI mortality in the parasitoid wasp, Encarsia suzannae. Previous work correlated CI-induced mortality with male development time in this system, although the timing of Cardinium CI-induction and the relationship between development time and CI mortality was not well understood. Here, using a combination of crosses, manipulation of development time, and fluorescence microscopy, we identify the localization and the timing of the CI-induction step in the Cardinium-E. suzannae system. Antibiotic treatment of adult Cardinium-infected males did not reduce the mortality associated with the CI phenotype, suggesting that CI-alteration occurs prior to adulthood. Our results suggest that the alteration step occurs during the pupal period, and is limited by the duration of pupal development: 1) Encarsia produces most sperm prior to adulthood, 2) FISH localization of Cardinium in testes showed an association with sperm nuclei throughout spermatogenesis but not with mature sperm, and 3) two methods of prolonging the pupal period (cool temperatures and the juvenile hormone analog methoprene) both caused greater CI mortality, suggesting the degree of alteration is limited by the duration of the pupal stage. Based on these results, we compare two models for potential mechanisms of Cardinium sperm modification in the context of what is known about analogous mechanisms of Wolbachia, a more extensively studied CI-inducing symbiont.

Secondary endosymbiont diversity of Bemisia tabaci and its parasitoids

Cotton whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is one of the most important insect pests worldwide. It is known as a species complex consisting of at least 40 cryptic species. Although there are substantial data regarding species composition, parasitoids and endosymbionts of B. tabaci, data on relationship between the pest, parasitoids and endosymbionts are very restricted. Therefore, in this study, secondary endosymbionts in populations of B. tabaci and their parasitoids collected from Turkey and the USA were determined by PCR-based DNA analysis. Whitefly populations in Turkey represented both Mediterranean (MED) and Middle East-Asia Minor1 (MEAM1) genotypes from single or mixed populations of both genotypes. Arsenophonus, Rickettsia and Wolbachia were found in MED, while Hamiltonella and Rickettsia in MEAM1. Whitefly populations collected from Arizona were all MEAM1 and dually infected with Hamiltonella and Rickettsia. The aphelinid parasitoids Encarsia lutea and Eretmocerus mundus predominated in all Turkish populations. While almost all En. lutea populations were infected with Wolbachia, no endosymbionts were detected in any Er. mundus. Parasitoid species and the pattern of secondary endosymbiont infection in Arizona populations were different with Rickettsia detected only from Encarsia sophia while both Rickettsia and Wolbachia were found in Eretmocerus species. As a result, four secondary endosymbionts, namely, Rickettsia, Hamiltonella, Arsenophonus and Wolbachia, were detected from B.tabaci and its parasitoids. Among them only Wolbachia and Rickettsia were found in both the pest and parasitoids. It is conclude that further studies should be pursued to determine effect of these endosymbionts on biology of the parasitoids and success in biological control of B. tabaci.

Exposure to opposing temperature extremes causes comparable effects on Cardinium density but contrasting effects on Cardinium-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility

Terrestrial arthropods, including insects, commonly harbor maternally inherited intracellular symbionts that confer benefits to the host or manipulate host reproduction to favor infected female progeny. These symbionts may be especially vulnerable to thermal stress, potentially leading to destabilization of the symbiosis and imposing costs to the host. For example, increased temperatures can reduce the density of a common reproductive manipulator, Wolbachia, and the strength of its crossing incompatibility (cytoplasmic incompatibility, or CI) phenotype. Another manipulative symbiont, Cardinium hertigii, infects ~ 6–10% of Arthropods, and also can induce CI, but there is little homology between the molecular mechanisms of CI induced by Cardinium and Wolbachia. Here we investigated whether temperature disrupts the CI phenotype of Cardinium in a parasitic wasp host, Encarsia suzannae. We examined the effects of both warm (32°C day/ 29°C night) and cool (20°C day/ 17°C night) temperatures on Cardinium CI and found that both types of temperature stress modified aspects of this symbiosis. Warm temperatures reduced symbiont density, pupal developmental time, vertical transmission rate, and the strength of both CI modification and rescue. Cool temperatures also reduced symbiont density, however this resulted in stronger CI, likely due to cool temperatures prolonging the host pupal stage. The opposing effects of cool and warm-mediated reductions in symbiont density on the resulting CI phenotype indicates that CI strength may be independent of density in this system. Temperature stress also modified the CI phenotype only if it occurred during the pupal stage, highlighting the likely importance of this stage for CI induction in this symbiosis.

Insects often harbor heritable symbiotic bacteria that infect their cells and/or bodily fluids. These heritable bacteria are passed from mother to offspring and can have substantial effects on host insect biology, and include bacteria like Cardinium that cause mating incompatibilities between symbiont-infected and uninfected individuals. Often, the extent of these symbiont-conferred modifications correlates with the bacterial density in the host. The appearance of these phenotypes is also affected by temperature stress, which often reduces bacterial density. However, here we find that temperature-altered strength of Cardinium-induced mating incompatibility in a whitefly parasitoid wasp can be independent of Cardinium density. While heat treatment reduced the symbiont density and the phenotype, as expected, cold treatment also reduced symbiont density but increased the degree of mating incompatibility. Here, the prolonged duration of the host pupal development in the cold treatments appeared to be more important for phenotype strength. These results suggest that the connection between bacterial density and phenotype strength may not be as general as previously thought. Furthermore, the modification of this manipulative phenotype has implications for the effectiveness of the host, Encarsia suzannae, as a biological control agent.

High nymphal host density and mortality negatively impact parasitoid complex during an insect herbivore outbreak

Insect herbivore outbreaks frequently occur and this may be due to factors that restrict top-down control by parasitoids, for example, host-parasitoid asynchrony, hyperparasitization, resource limitation and climate. Few studies have examined host-parasitoid density relationships during an insect herbivore outbreak in a natural ecosystem with diverse parasitoids. We studied parasitization patterns of Cardiaspina psyllids during an outbreak in a Eucalyptus woodland. First, we established the trophic roles of the parasitoids through a species-specific multiplex PCR approach on mummies from which parasitoids emerged. Then, we assessed host-parasitoid density relationships across three spatial scales (leaf, tree and site) over one year. We detected four endoparasitoid species of the family Encyrtidae (Hymenoptera); two primary parasitoid and one heteronomous hyperparasitoid Psyllaephagus species (the latter with female development as a primary parasitoid and male development as a hyperparasitoid), and the hyperparasitoid Coccidoctonus psyllae. Parasitoid development was host-synchronized, although synchrony between sites appeared constrained during winter (due to temperature differences). Parasitization was predominantly driven by one primary parasitoid species and was mostly inversely host-density dependent across the spatial scales. Hyperparasitization by C. psyllae was psyllid-density dependent at the site scale, however, this only impacted the rarer primary parasitoid. High larval parasitoid mortality due to density-dependent nymphal psyllid mortality (a consequence of resource limitation) compounded by a summer heat wave was incorporated in the assessment and resulted in density independence of host-parasitoid relationships. As such, high larval parasitoid mortality during insect herbivore outbreaks may contribute to the absence of host density-dependent parasitization during outbreak events.

Host Stage Preferences of Encarsia noyesi, Idioporus affinis, and Entedononecremnus krauteri: Parasitoids of the Giant Whitefly Aleurodicus dugesii (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)

Parasitoid wasps released as biological control agents may experience strong interspecific competition, which can lead to a reduction in pest control. The effects of competition can be mitigated if niche partitioning exists between species, such as parasitism preferences for different host stages. We examined host stage preferences for the parasitoids Encarsia noyesi Hayat (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), Idioporus affinis LaSalle and Polaszek (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), and Entedononecremnus krauteri Zolnerowich and Rose (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae). These parasitoids were introduced to the United States to control the giant whitefly Aleurodicus dugesii Cockerell (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), a pest of many economically important plants. Host stage preferences were examined using multiple metrics including: parasitism rates, relative preferences, handling times, and initial stage parasitism frequency. The data indicated differences in parasitoid preference hierarchies for the four A. dugesii nymphal stages. All A. dugesii nymphal stages were parasitized by I. affinis, which exhibited preference for the third instar. Unlike I. affinis, the first instar was not parasitized by E. noyesi, and its preference hierarchy differed with the fourth instar being the most preferred stage. The observed host-use breadth of E. krauteri was the narrowest observed of the three parasitoid species, only parasitizing the fourth and third instars, with a clear preference for the former. The observed differences in host-use breadth and stage preferences between parasitoid species in this system may promote their long-term coexistence in the field and facilitate biological control. Potential factors underlying the preferences exhibited by these parasitoids and their implications for biological control are discussed.

The first two mitochondrial genomes of the family Aphelinidae with novel gene orders and phylogenetic implications

Chalcidoidea is one of the most diverse group in Hymenoptera by possessing striking mitochondrial gene arrangement. By using next generation sequencing method, the first two nearly complete mitochondrial genomes in the family Aphelinidae (Insecta, Hymenopetra, Chalcidoidea) were obtained in this study. Almost all previously sequenced mitochondrial genome of Chalcidoidea species have a large inversion including six genes (atp6-atp8-trnD-trnK-cox2-trnL2-cox1) as compared with ancestral mitochondrial genome, but these two Encarsia mitochondrial genomes had a large inversion including nine genes (nad3-trnG-atp6-atp8-trnD-trnK-cox2-trnL2-cox1), which was only congruent with the species in the genus Nasonia. Moreover, we found that one shuffling changes (trnD and trnK) happened in the species E. obtusiclava but not in another species E. formosa within the same genus, of which such shuffling within the same genus at this region was only detected in Polisters within Insecta. Phylogenetic analysis displayed that different data matrix (13PCG+ 2 rRNA or 13 PCG) and inference methods (BI or ML) indicate the identical topology with high nodal supports that Aphelinidae formed a sister group with (Trichogrammatidae + Aganoidae) and the monophyly of Pteramalidae. Our results also indicated the validity of assembling and feasibility of next-generation technology to obtain the mitochondrial genomes of parasitic Hymenoptera.

Comparison of demographic fitness and biocontrol effectiveness of two parasitoids, Encarsia sophia and Eretmocerus hayati (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), against Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)

BACKGROUND

The autoparasitoid Encarsia sophia and the primary parasitoid Eretmocerus hayati are two important parasitoids used against the whitefly Bemisia tabaci, with different reproductive strategies. To incorporate these two parasitoids into a sustainable whitefly control program, it is necessary to evaluate and compare their fitness and biocontrol effectiveness under identical experimental conditions. The demographic characteristics, parasitism rate and host-feeding rate of En. sophia and Er. hayati were analyzed using an age-stage, two-sex life table and the CONSUME-MSChart computer program.

RESULTS

The mean fecundity of Er. hayati (211.4 offspring per female) was significantly higher than that of En. sophia (101.6 offspring per female), although the oviposition days of En. sophia was longer than that of Er. hayati. No significant difference was found in the intrinsic rate of increase (r), finite rate of increase (λ) or net reproduction rate (R0 ) between the two parasitoid species, but the mean generation time (T) of En. sophia (18.8 days) was significantly shorter than that of Er. hayati (20.5 days). The net host feeding rate (C0 ) of En. sophia was 84.1 whiteflies per individual, significantly higher than the 17.6 whiteflies per individual consumed by Er. hayati. The finite killing rate (ν) of En. sophia (0.6713) for whitefly was significantly greater than that produced by Er. hayati (0.3652).

CONCLUSION

The En. sophia population can increase faster and have a higher killing potential than the Er. hayati population. Taking both the demographic fitness and killing potential of the two parasitoids into consideration, En. sophia would be the preferred choice to release in a biological control program. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Cytological analysis of cytoplasmic incompatibility induced by Cardinium suggests convergent evolution with its distant cousin Wolbachia

Cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) is a conditional sterility in numerous arthropods that is caused by inherited, intracellular bacteria such as Wolbachia Matings between males carrying CI-inducing Wolbachia and uninfected females, or between males and females infected with different Wolbachia strains, result in progeny that die during very early embryogenesis. Multiple studies in diploid (Drosophila) and haplodiploid (Nasonia) insects have shown that CI-Wolbachia cause a failure of the paternally derived chromatin from resolving into distinct chromosomes. This leads to the formation of chromatin bridges and other mitotic defects as early as the first mitotic division, and to early mitotic arrest. It is currently unknown if CI-inducing symbionts other than Wolbachia affect similar cellular processes. Here, we investigated CI caused by an unrelated bacterium, Cardinium, which naturally infects a parasitic wasp, Encarsia suzannae CI crosses in this host-symbiont system resulted in early mitotic defects including asynchrony of paternal and maternal chromosome sets as they enter mitosis, chromatin bridges and improper chromosome segregation that spanned across multiple mitotic divisions, triggering embryonic death through accumulated aneuploidy. We highlight small differences with CI-Wolbachia, which could be due to the underlying CI mechanism or host-specific effects. Our results suggest a convergence of CI-related cellular phenotypes between these two unrelated symbionts.

Reproductive interference and fecundity affect competitive interactions of sibling species with low mating barriers: experimental and theoretical evidence

When allopatric species with incomplete prezygotic isolation come into secondary contact, the outcome of their interaction is not easily predicted. The parasitoid wasp Encarsia suzannae (iES), infected by Cardinium inducing cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), and its sibling species E. gennaroi (EG), not infected by bacterial endosymbionts, may have diverged because of the complementary action of CI and asymmetric hybrid incompatibilities. Whereas postzygotic isolation is now complete because of sterility of F1 hybrid progeny, prezygotic isolation is still incipient. We set up laboratory population cage experiments to evaluate the outcome of the interaction between ES and EG in two pairwise combinations: iES vs EG and cured ES (cES, where Cardinium was removed with antibiotics) vs EG. We also built a theoretical model aimed at exploring the role of life-history differences and asymmetric mating on competitive outcomes. In three of four cages in each treatment, ES dominated the interaction. We found evidence for reproductive interference, driven by asymmetric mating preferences, that gave a competitive edge to ES, the species that better discriminated against heterospecifics. However, we did not find the fecundity cost previously shown to be associated with Cardinium infection in iES. The model largely supported the experimental results. The finding of only a slight competitive edge of ES over EG in population cages suggests that in a more heterogeneous environment the species could coexist. This is supported by evidence that the two species coexist in sympatry, where preliminary data suggest reproductive character displacement may have reinforced postzygotic isolation.

Unravelling mummies: cryptic diversity, host specificity, trophic and coevolutionary interactions in psyllid - parasitoid food webs

BACKGROUND

Parasitoids are hyperdiverse and can contain morphologically and functionally cryptic species, making them challenging to study. Parasitoid speciation can arise from specialisation on niches or diverging hosts. However, which process dominates is unclear because cospeciation across multiple parasitoid and host species has rarely been tested. Host specificity and trophic interactions of the parasitoids of psyllids (Hemiptera) remain mostly unknown, but these factors are fundamentally important for understanding of species diversity, and have important applied implications for biological control.

RESULTS

We sampled diverse parasitoid communities from eight Eucalyptus-feeding psyllid species in the genera Cardiaspina and Spondyliaspis, and characterised their phylogenetic and trophic relationships using a novel approach that forensically linked emerging parasitoids with the presence of their DNA in post-emergence insect mummies. We also tested whether parasitoids have cospeciated with their psyllid hosts. The parasitoid communities included three Psyllaephagus morphospecies (two primary and, unexpectedly, one heteronomous hyperparasitoid that uses different host species for male and female development), and the hyperparasitoid, Coccidoctonus psyllae. However, the number of genetically delimited Psyllaephagus species was three times higher than the number of recognisable morphospecies, while the hyperparasitoid formed a single generalist species. In spite of this, cophylogenetic analysis revealed unprecedented codivergence of this hyperparasitoid with its primary parasitoid host, suggesting that this single hyperparasitoid species is possibly diverging into host-specific species. Overall, parasitoid and hyperparasitoid diversification was characterised by functional conservation of morphospecies, high host specificity and some host switching between sympatric psyllid hosts.

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that host specialisation, host codivergence and host switching are important factors driving the species diversity of endoparasitoid communities of specialist host herbivores. Specialisation in parasitoids can also result in heteronomous life histories that may be more common than appreciated. A host generalist strategy may be rare in endoparasitoids of specialist herbivores despite the high conservation of morphology and trophic roles, and endoparasitoid species richness is likely to be much higher than previously estimated. This also implies that the success of biological control requires detailed investigation to enable accurate identification of parasitoid-host interactions before candidate parasitoid species are selected as biological control agents for target pests.

Enhanced stability in host-parasitoid interactions with autoparasitism and parasitoid migration

Previous studies based on simple non-spatial model have suggested that autoparasitism, in which females develop as primary endoparasitoids of hosts while males develop at the expense of primary parasitoids, stabilizes host-parasitoid steady state. To date, however, how the stabilizing role of autoparasitism would be affected by more complex spatial factors has not been adequately investigated. To address the issue, here we analyzed a spatially extended two-patch host-parasitoid model and compared it with the corresponding non-spatial model. Results showed that in the non-spatial model and the case of autoparasitoid, the host-parasitoid steady states can be unstable if the host׳s intrinsic rate of growth and/or carrying capacity is sufficiently large. However, in the spatially extended two-patch model with parasitoid migration, the unstable host-parasitoid steady states in each local patch may become stable, provided there is certain spatial unevenness in host growth and/or carrying capacity. Therefore, the migration of parasitoid together with spatial unevenness in host growth and/or carrying capacity stabilizes the host-parasitoid interactions. The stabilizing effects are stronger with the host density-dependent migration of parasitoid than with the random migration of parasitoid. In the case of primary parasitoid, the model demonstrated similar stabilizing effects associated with the migration of parasitoid. However, the parameter conditions for stability are much more stringent than in the case of autoparasitoid. We concluded that the stabilizing effects of parasitoid migration and autoparasitism can add to each other, leading to more stable host-parasitoid interactions.

Host selection by the autoparasitoid Encarsia pergandiella on primary (Bemisia tabaci) and secondary (Eretmocerus mundus) hosts

In autoparasitoids, females are generally primary endoparasitoids of Hemiptera, while males are hyperparasitoids developing in or on conspecific females or other primary parasitoids. Female-host acceptance can be influenced by extrinsic and/or intrinsic factors. In this paper, we are concerned with intrinsic factors such as nutritional status, mating status, etc. We observed the behavior of Encarsia pergandiella Howard (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) females when parasitizing primary (3rd instar larvae of Bemisia tabaci Gennadius [Homoptera: Aleyrodidae]) and secondary hosts (3rd instar larvae and pupae of Eretmocerus mundus Mercet [Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae]) for a period of 1 h. Females had different reproductive (virgin or mated younger) and physiological (fed elder or mated elder) status. Virgin females killed a large number of secondary hosts while investing a long time per host. However, they did not feed upon them. Mated females killed a lower number of secondary hosts and host feeding was observed in both consuming primary and secondary hosts. It was common to observe host examining females of all physiological statues tested repeatedly stinging the same hosts when parasitizing, killing or rejecting them. Fed elder females parasitized more B. tabaci larvae than E. mundus larvae or pupae, while investing less time on the primary host than on the secondary host. They also parasitized more B. tabaci larvae than mated elder females, while investing less time per host. The access of females to honey allowed them to lay more eggs.

Hyperparasitism in a Generalist Ectoparasitic Pupal Parasitoid, Pachycrepoideus vindemmiae (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), on Its Own Conspecifics: When the Lack of Resource Lead to Cannibalism

Hyperparasitism is a normal behavior of parasitoids, which often happens among species. Conspecific hyperparasitism, such as some kinds of heteronomous hyperparasitic behaviors, has been only reported in some species belonging to Aphelinidae. In this article, the conspecific hyperparasitism of Pachycrepoideus vindemmiae (Pteromalidae) is reported, with Drosophila puparia as hosts. Hosts were exposed to P. vindemmiae females twice to parasitism with nine, twelve, and fifteen day intervals between the two exposures. None of the infested hosts emerged more than one offspring, and emergence of parasitoid offspring occurred in two obvious events, synchronously with the exposure time intervals, which suggested that offspring emerging during the first and second events would come from the primary and secondary parasitoids, respectively, and the inference with the developmental duration of offspring also indicated this. With two P. vindemmiae strains that could be identified by a simple sequence repeat marker, the above speculation of the origin of those offspring emerging during the two events was confirmed. Dissection of hosts exposed twice revealed a cannibalism behavior of larvae from the secondary foundresses on the primary conspecific pupae. Our results suggested a conspecific hyperparasitism behavior of the secondary parasitoids on the primary conspecifics. Measures showed a reduced body size for the adults from the conspecific hyperparasitism. Foundresses from the conspecific hyperparasitism had less fitness variables than those from primary parasitism, with shorter longevity, less life time fecundity, lower values of infestation degree, and lower success rate of parasitism. However, when the parasitoids from the conspecific hyperparasitism met healthy Drosophila puparia, their offspring would recover to normal size. Frequency of the conspecific hyperparasitism behavior enhanced with the decreasing of proportion of healthy hosts in the oviposition patch. The conspecific hyperparasitism of P. vindemmiae on the primary conspecifics would be helpful to last the population when healthy hosts are absent in the oviposition patch.

Whitefly parasitoids: distribution, life history, bionomics, and utilization

Whiteflies are small hemipterans numbering more than 1,550 described species, of which about 50 are agricultural pests. Adults are free-living, whereas late first to fourth instars are sessile on the plant. All known species of whitefly parasitoids belong to Hymenoptera; two genera, Encarsia and Eretmocerus, occur worldwide, and others are mostly specific to different continents. All parasitoid eggs are laid in-or in Eretmocerus, under-the host. They develop within whitefly nymphs and emerge from the fourth instar, and in Cales, from either the third or fourth instar. Parasitized hosts are recognized by conspecifics, but super- and hyperparasitism occur. Dispersal flights are influenced by gender and mating status, but no long-range attraction to whitefly presence on leaves is known. Studies on En. formosa have laid the foundation for behavioral studies and biological control in general. We review past and ongoing studies of whitefly parasitoids worldwide, updating available information on species diversity, biology, behavior, tritrophic interactions, and utilization in pest management.

Ultrastructure of antennal sensilla of an autoparasitoid Encarsia sophia (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae)

Encarsia sophia (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) is a parasitoid utilized for biological control of Bemisia tabaci, with selection of prey aided by chemoreceptor organs. The morphology and distribution of the antennal sensilla (chemoreceptors) of E. sophia were examined using Transmission electron micrographs. The total antennal length for E. sophia was 429.28±0.95 μm for females and 437.19±8.21 for males, and each antennae was found to consist of seven sensilla of different types. Both sexes possessed sensilla chaetica, sensilla trichodea, basiconic capitate peg sensilla, multiporous grooved-surface placoid sensilla (MG-PS), uniporous rod-like sensilla, nonporous finger-like sensilla, and sensilla coeloconica. Transmission electron micrographs of longitudinal sections of female antennae showed that they were composed of fat body, cuticle, mesoscutello-metanotal muscles, neurons, and glandular tissue, and cross-sections of the basal MG-PS showed sensillar lymph cavities and dendrites. The MG-PSs were imbedded in an electron-dense mass with cuticular invaginations which acted as pores that connected to a central lumen. The possible function of each type of sensilla is discussed.

Characteristics, phenotype, and transmission of Wolbachia in the sweet potato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), and its parasitoid Eretmocerus sp. nr. emiratus (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae)

Wolbachia is a common intracellular bacterial endosymbiont of insects, causing a variety of effects including reproductive manipulations such as cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). In this study, we characterized Wolbachia in the whitefly Bemisia tabaci and in the whitefly parasitoid Eretmocerus sp. nr. emiratus. We also tested for horizontal transmission of Wolbachia between and within trophic levels, and we determined the phenotype of Wolbachia in E. sp. nr. emiratus. Using multilocus sequence typing and phylogenetic analyses, we found that B. tabaci and E. sp. nr. emiratus each harbor a different and unique strain of Wolbachia. Both strains belong to the phylogenetic supergroup B. No evidence for horizontal transmission of Wolbachia between and within trophic levels was found in our study system. Finally, crossing results were consistent with a CI phenotype; when Wolbachia-infected E. sp. nr. emiratus males mate with uninfected females, wasp progeny survival dropped significantly, and the number of females was halved. This is the first description of CI caused by Wolbachia in the economically important genus Eretmocerus. Our study underscores the expectation that horizontal transmission events occur rarely in the dynamics of secondary symbionts such as Wolbachia, and highlights the importance of understanding the effects of symbionts on the biology of natural enemies.

Factors affecting the strength of Cardinium-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility in the parasitic wasp Encarsia pergandiella (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae)

Bacteria that cause cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) are among the most common maternally transmitted parasites of insects. In CI, uninfected females produce few or no offspring when they mate with infected males and, as a result, are often at a reproductive disadvantage relative to infected females. Two different bacteria are known to cause CI, Wolbachia and Cardinium. CI Cardinium was discovered more recently and has been little studied. Here, factors that could influence the reduction in reproductive output in a CI cross, or CI "strength," were explored in the parasitic wasp Encarsia pergandiella. Cardinium in this wasp exhibits variable CI strength. Experiments tested the effect of male age, male size, male host species, Cardinium density, and male development time on CI strength. We found a striking effect of male development time, with males that took longer to develop exhibiting stronger CI when mated to uninfected females. Male age had little effect; although in one experiment, the oldest males exhibited stronger CI. Male size, host species, and bacterial density had no effect on the strength of CI. Identifying the factors that control CI are crucial for understanding the dynamics of infection, as well as the success of strategies that aim to use CI microbes to control insect pests and disease vectors.

A new embryonic pattern in parasitic wasps: divergence in early development may not be associated with lifestyle

Comparative embryogenesis of Encarsia formosa and Encarsia pergandiella (Hymenoptera Aphelinidae), two endoparasitoids of whiteflies (Hemiptera Aleyrodidae), revealed two strongly diverging developmental patterns. Indeed, the centrolecithal anhydropic egg of E. formosa developed through a superficial cleavage, as it occurs in Nasonia vitripennis, Apis mellifera, and Drosophila melanogaster. In contrast, the alecithal hydropic egg of E. pergandiella developed through holoblastic cleavage within a specialized extra-embryonic membrane (EEM). Since this developmental pattern evolved independently in several lineages of hymenopteran endoparasitoids, departures from the superficial cleavage mode have been argued to be strongly canalized in response to a shift from ecto- to endoparasitic lifestyle. Coexistence of both developmental patterns in two congeneric species suggests that alterations of early embryonic development may not be correlated with lifestyle. In addition, embryogenesis of E. pergandiella exhibited the following developmental novelties compared to other species possessing a hydropic egg: (i) polar body derivatives early acquired a cytoskeletal boundary prior to any other cellularization event; (ii) cellularization was asynchronous, starting with an early differentiation of a single apical blastomere at the end of the third cleavage; (iii) appearance of cytoskeletal boundaries of embryo blastomeres occurred between the third and fourth cleavages; (iv) the EEM originated through asynchronous participation of three separate lineages of cleavage nuclei, one of which associated with the polar body derivatives in a syncytium. Our results confirm a scenario of high plasticity in the early developmental strategies of hymenopteran endoparasitoids.

Competitive interactions between parasitoids provide new insight into host suppression

Understanding the dynamics of potential inter- and intraspecific competition in parasitoid communities is crucial in the screening of efficient parasitoid species and for utilization of the best parasitoid species combinations. In this respect, the host-parasitoid systems, Bemisia tabaci and two parasitoids, Eretmocerus hayati (exotic) and Encarsia sophia (existing) were studied under laboratory conditions to investigate whether interference competition between the exotic and existing species occurs as well as the influence of potential interference competition on the suppression of the host B. tabaci. Studies on interspecific-, intraspecific- and self-interference competition in two parasitoid species were conducted under both rich and limited host resource conditions. Results showed that (1) both parasitoid species negatively affect the progeny production of the other under both rich and limited host resource conditions; (2) both parasitoid species interfered intraspecifically on conspecific parasitized hosts when the available hosts are scarce and; 3) the mortality of B. tabaci induced by parasitoids via parasitism, host-feeding or both parasitism and host-feeding together varied among treatments under different host resource conditions, but showed promise for optimizing control strategies. As a result of our current findings, we suggest a need to investigate the interactions between the two parasitoids on continuous generations.

The evolution of body size, antennal size and host use in parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea): a phylogenetic comparative analysis

Chalcidoid wasps represent one of the most speciose superfamilies of animals known, with ca. 23,000 species described of which many are parasitoids. They are extremely diverse in body size, morphology and, among the parasitoids, insect hosts. Parasitic chalcidoids utilise a range of behavioural adaptations to facilitate exploitation of their diverse insect hosts, but how host use might influence the evolution of body size and morphology is not known in this group. We used a phylogenetic comparative analysis of 126 chalcidoid species to examine whether body size and antennal size showed evolutionary correlations with aspects of host use, including host breadth (specificity), host identity (orders of insects parasitized) and number of plant associates. Both morphological features and identity of exploited host orders show strong phylogenetic signal, but host breadth does not. Larger body size in these wasps was weakly associated with few plant genera, and with more specialised host use, and chalcidoid wasps that parasitize coleopteran hosts tend to be larger. Intriguingly, chalcidoid wasps that parasitize hemipteran hosts are both smaller in size in the case of those parasitizing the suborder Sternorrhyncha and have relatively larger antennae, particularly in those that parasitize other hemipteran suborders. These results suggest there are adaptations in chalcidoid wasps that are specifically associated with host detection and exploitation.

Intrinsic inter- and intraspecific competition in parasitoid wasps

Immature development of parasitoid wasps is restricted to resources found in a single host that is often similar in size to the adult parasitoid. When two or more parasitoids of the same or different species attack the same host, there is competition for monopolization of host resources. The success of intrinsic competition differs between parasitoids attacking growing hosts and parasitoids attacking paralyzed hosts. Furthermore, the evolution of gregarious development in parasitoids reflects differences in various developmental and behavioral traits, as these influence antagonistic encounters among immature parasitoids. Fitness-related costs (or benefits) of competition for the winning parasitoid reveal that time lags between successive attacks influence the outcome of competition. Physiological mechanisms used to exclude competitors include physical and biochemical factors that originate with the ovipositing female wasp or her progeny. In a broader multitrophic framework, indirect factors, such as plant quality, may affect parasitoids through effects on immunity and nutrition.

Shifting preference between oviposition vs. host-feeding under changing host densities in two aphelinid parasitoids

Destructive host-feeding is common in hymenopteran parasitoids. Such feeding may be restricted to host stages not preferred for oviposition. However, whether this is a fixed strategy or can vary according to resource levels or parasitoid needs is less clear. We tested the trade-off between host feeding and oviposition on two whitefly parasitoids under varying host densities. Females of two aphelinid parasitoids, Eretmocerus hayati and Encarsia sophia were exposed to nine different densities of their whitefly host, Bemisia tabaci, in single-instar tests to identify their functional response. Mixed-instar host choice tests were also conducted by exposing whiteflies at four densities to the parasitoids. We hypothesized that the parasitoid females can detect different host densities, and decide on oviposition vs. host-feeding accordingly. The results showed that both Er. hayati and En. sophia females tended to increase both oviposition and host-feeding with increased host density within a certain range. Oviposition reached a plateau at lower host density than host-feeding in Er. hayati, while En. sophia reached its oviposition plateau at higher densities. At low densities, Er. hayati parasitized most on first and second (the optimal ones), and fed most on third nymphal instars (the suboptimal one) of the whitefly host as theory predicts, while at high densities, both parasitism and host-feeding occurred on first and second instars which are preferred for oviposition. En. sophia parasitized most on third and fourth (the optimal ones), while fed on first instars (the suboptimal one) at low densities, and utilized third and fourth instars for both at high densities. In conclusion, oviposition vs. host-feeding strategy of parasitoid females was found to vary at different host densities. The balance between reserving optimal hosts for oviposition or using them for host-feeding depended on parasitoid life history and the availability of host resources.

The first molecular phylogeny of Strepsiptera (Insecta) reveals an early burst of molecular evolution correlated with the transition to endoparasitism

A comprehensive model of evolution requires an understanding of the relationship between selection at the molecular and phenotypic level. We investigate this in Strepsiptera, an order of endoparasitic insects whose evolutionary biology is poorly studied. We present the first molecular phylogeny of Strepsiptera, and use this as a framework to investigate the association between parasitism and molecular evolution. We find evidence of a significant burst in the rate of molecular evolution in the early history of Strepsiptera. The evolution of morphological traits linked to parasitism is significantly correlated with the pattern in molecular rate. The correlated burst in genotypic-phenotypic evolution precedes the main phase of strepsipteran diversification, which is characterised by the return to a low and even molecular rate, and a period of relative morphological stability. These findings suggest that the transition to endoparasitism led to relaxation of selective constraint in the strepsipteran genome. Our results indicate that a parasitic lifestyle can affect the rate of molecular evolution, although other causal life-history traits correlated with parasitism may also play an important role.

Reevaluation of the value of autoparasitoids in biological control

Autoparasitoids with the capacity of consuming primary parasitoids that share the same hosts to produce males are analogous to intraguild predators. The use of autoparasitoids in biological control programs is a controversial matter because there is little evidence to support the view that autoparasitoids do not disrupt and at times may promote suppression of insect pests in combination with primary parasitoids. We found that Encarsia sophia, a facultative autoparasitoid, preferred to use heterospecific hosts as secondary hosts for producing males. The autoparasitoids mated with males originated from heterospecifics may parasitize more hosts than those mated with males from conspecifics. Provided with an adequate number of males, the autoparasitoids killed more hosts than En. formosa, a commonly used parasitoid for biological control of whiteflies. This study supports the view that autoparasitoids in combination with primary parasitoids do not disrupt pest management and may enhance such programs. The demonstrated preference of an autoparasitoid for heterospecifics and improved performance of males from heterospecifics observed in this study suggests these criteria should be considered in strategies that endeavor to mass-produce and utilize autoparasitoids in the future.

Population dynamics and rapid spread of Cardinium, a bacterial endosymbiont causing cytoplasmic incompatibility in Encarsia pergandiella (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae)

Cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) is a common phenotype of maternally inherited bacterial symbionts of arthropods; in its simplest expression, uninfected females produce few or no viable progeny when mated to infected males. Infected females thus experience a reproductive advantage relative to that of uninfected females, with the potential for the symbiont to spread rapidly. CI population dynamics are predicted to depend primarily on the strength of incompatibility, the fitness cost of the infection and how faithfully symbionts are inherited. Although the bacterial symbiont lineage Wolbachia has been most identified with the CI phenotype, an unrelated bacterium, Cardinium may also cause CI. In the first examination of population dynamics of CI-inducing Cardinium, we used population cages of the parasitic wasp Encarsia pergandiella (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) with varying initial infection frequencies to test a model of invasion. Cardinium was found to spread rapidly in all populations, even in cases where the initial infection frequency was well below the predicted invasion threshold frequency. The discrepancy between the modeled and actual results is best explained by weaker CI than measured in the lab and a cryptic fitness benefit to the infection.

Sexual conflict, sex allocation and the genetic system

Decisions over what sex ratio to produce can have far-reaching evolutionary consequences, for both offspring and parents. However, the extent to which males and females come into evolutionary conflict over aspects of sex allocation depends on the genetic system: when genes are passed to the next generation unequally by the two sexes (as in haplodiploidy, for example), this biased transmission can facilitate a range of conflicts not seen in diploids. However, much less attention has been paid to these forms of sexual conflict, not least because it has not always been clear how the conflicts could be realized. Here we consider how biased gene transmission, as expressed in different genetic systems, enhances the opportunity for sex ratio conflict and give empirical examples that confirm that males and females have the opportunity to influence sex ratios.

Almost there: transmission routes of bacterial symbionts between trophic levels

Many intracellular microbial symbionts of arthropods are strictly vertically transmitted and manipulate their host's reproduction in ways that enhance their own transmission. Rare horizontal transmission events are nonetheless necessary for symbiont spread to novel host lineages. Horizontal transmission has been mostly inferred from phylogenetic studies but the mechanisms of spread are still largely a mystery. Here, we investigated transmission of two distantly related bacterial symbionts – Rickettsia and Hamiltonella – from their host, the sweet potato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, to three species of whitefly parasitoids: Eretmocerus emiratus, Eretmocerus eremicus and Encarsia pergandiella. We also examined the potential for vertical transmission of these whitefly symbionts between parasitoid generations. Using florescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and transmission electron microscopy we found that Rickettsia invades Eretmocerus larvae during development in a Rickettsia-infected host, persists in adults and in females, reaches the ovaries. However, Rickettsia does not appear to penetrate the oocytes, but instead is localized in the follicular epithelial cells only. Consequently, Rickettsia is not vertically transmitted in Eretmocerus wasps, a result supported by diagnostic polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In contrast, Rickettsia proved to be merely transient in the digestive tract of Encarsia and was excreted with the meconia before wasp pupation. Adults of all three parasitoid species frequently acquired Rickettsia via contact with infected whiteflies, most likely by feeding on the host hemolymph (host feeding), but the rate of infection declined sharply within a few days of wasps being removed from infected whiteflies. In contrast with Rickettsia, Hamiltonella did not establish in any of the parasitoids tested, and none of the parasitoids acquired Hamiltonella by host feeding. This study demonstrates potential routes and barriers to horizontal transmission of symbionts across trophic levels. The possible mechanisms that lead to the differences in transmission of species of symbionts among species of hosts are discussed.

Host-parasitoid associations in Strepsiptera

Strepsiptera are obligate endoparasitoids that exhibit extreme sexual dimorphism and parasitize seven orders and 33 families of Insecta. The adult males and the first instar larvae in the Mengenillidia and Stylopidia are free-living, whereas the adult females in Mengenillidia are free-living but in the suborder Stylopidia they remain endoparasitic in the host. Parasitism occurs at the host larval/nymphal stage and continues in a mobile host until that host's adult stage. The life of the host is lengthened to allow the male strepsipteran to complete maturation and the viviparous female to release the first instar larvae when the next generation of the host's larvae/nymphs has been produced. The ability of strepsipterans to parasitize a wide range of hosts, in spite of being endoparasitoids, is perhaps due to their unique immune avoidance system. Aspects of virulence, heterotrophic heteronomy in the family Myrmecolacidae, cryptic species, genomics, immune response, and behavior of stylopized hosts are discussed in this chapter.

Population biology of cytoplasmic incompatibility: maintenance and spread of Cardinium symbionts in a parasitic wasp

Bacteria that cause cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) are perhaps the most widespread parasites of arthropods. CI symbionts cause reproductive failure when infected males mate with females that are either uninfected or infected with a different, incompatible strain. Until recently, CI was known to be caused only by the alpha-proteobacterium Wolbachia. Here we present the first study of the population biology of Cardinium, a recently discovered symbiont in the Bacteroidetes that causes CI in the parasitic wasp Encarsia pergandiella (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae). Cardinium occurs at high frequency ( approximately 92%) in the field. Using wasps that were recently collected in the field, we measured parameters that are crucial for understanding how CI spreads and is maintained in its host. CI Cardinium exhibits near-perfect rates of maternal transmission, causes a strong reduction in viable offspring in incompatible crosses, and induces a high fecundity cost, with infected females producing 18% fewer offspring in the first 4 days of reproduction. We found no evidence for paternal transmission or horizontal transmission of CI Cardinium through parasitism of an infected conspecific. No evidence for cryptic parthenogenesis in infected females was found, nor was sex allocation influenced by infection. We incorporated our laboratory estimates into a model of CI dynamics. The model predicts a high stable equilibrium, similar to what we observed in the field. Interestingly, our model also predicts a high threshold frequency of CI invasion (20% for males and 24% for females), below which the infection is expected to be lost. We consider how this threshold may be overcome, focusing in particular on the sensitivity of CI models to fecundity costs. Overall our results suggest that the factors governing the dynamics of CI Wolbachia and Cardinium are strikingly similar.

Manipulation of oviposition choice of the parasitoid wasp, Encarsia pergandiella, by the endosymbiotic bacterium Cardinium

Reproductive manipulations of hosts by maternally inherited bacterial endosymbionts often result in an increase in the proportion of infected female hosts in the population. When this involves the conversion of incipient males to genetic or functional females, it presents unique difficulties for symbionts invading hosts with sex-specific reproductive behaviours, such as the autoparasitic Encarsia pergandiella. In sexual forms of this species, female eggs are laid in whitefly nymphs and male eggs are laid in conspecific or heterospecific parasitoids developing within the whitefly cuticle. Further, eggs laid in the 'wrong' host do not ordinarily complete development. This study explored the role of a bacterial symbiont, Cardinium, in manipulating oviposition behaviour in a thelytokous population of E. pergandiella. Oviposition choice was measured by the number and location of eggs deposited by both infected and uninfected adult waSPS in arenas containing equal numbers of hosts suitable for the development of male and female waSPS. Uninfected waSPS included antibiotic-treated female waSPS and (untreated) daughters of antibiotic-treated female waSPS. The choices of waSPS in the thelytokous population treatments were compared with those of a conspecific sexual population. We found that offspring of antibiotic-cured thelytokous waSPS reverted to the behaviour of unmated sexual waSPS, laying their few eggs almost exclusively in hosts appropriate for male eggs. Infected thelytokous waSPS distributed their eggs approximately evenly between host types, much like mated sexual female waSPS. The antibiotic-treated female waSPS exhibited choices intermediate to waSPS in the other two treatments. The change in the observed behaviour appears sufficient to allow invasion and persistence of Cardinium in sexual populations. Lastly, our results suggest a reduction in host discrimination as a possible mechanism by which Cardinium influences this change.

Host-parasite interactions between whiteflies and their parasitoids

There is relatively little information available concerning the physiological and biochemical interactions between whiteflies and their parasitoids. In this report, we describe interactions between aphelinid parasitoids and their aleyrodid hosts that we have observed in four host-parasite systems: Bemisia tabaci/Encarsia formosa, Trialeurodes vaporariorum/E. formosa, B. tabaci/Eretmocerus mundus, and T. lauri/Encarsia scapeata. In the absence of reported polydnavirus and teratocytes, these parasitoids probably inject and/or produce compounds that interfere with the host immune response and also manipulate host development to suit their own needs. In addition, parasitoids must coordinate their own development with that of their host. Although eggs are deposited under all four instars of B. tabaci, Eretmocerus larvae only penetrate 4th instar B. tabaci nymphs. A pre-penetrating E. mundus first instar was capable of inducing permanent developmental arrest in its host, and upon penetration stimulated its host to produce a capsule (epidermal in origin) in which the parasitoid larva developed. T. vaporariorum and B. tabaci parasitized by E. formosa initiated adult development, and, on occasion, produced abnormal adult wings and eyes. In these systems, the site of parasitoid oviposition depended on the host species, occurring within or pressing into the ventral ganglion in T. vaporariorum and at various locations in B. tabaci. E. formosa's final larval molt is cued by the initiation of adult development in its host. In the T. lauri-E. scapeata system, both the host whitefly and the female parasitoid diapause during most of the year, i.e., from June until the middle of February (T. lauri) or from May until the end of December (E. scapeata). It appears that the growth and development of the insects are directed by the appearance of new, young foliage on Arbutus andrachne, the host tree. When adult female parasitoids emerged in the spring, they laid unfertilized male-producing eggs in whiteflies containing a female parasitoid [autoparasitism (development of male larvae utilizing female parasitoid immatures for nutrition)]. Upon hatching, these male larvae did not diapause, but initiated development, and the adult males that emerged several weeks later mated with available females to produce the next generation of parasitoid females. Thus, the interactions that exist between whiteflies and their parasitoids are complex and can be quite diverse in the various host-parasitoid systems.

Nutritional bias as a new mode of adjusting sex allocation

Sex biases in the allocation of resources to offspring occur in a broad range of taxa. Parents have been shown to achieve such biases either by producing numerically more of one sex or by providing the individuals of one sex with a greater quantity of resources. In addition, skews in allocation could occur if the offspring of one sex receive resources of higher quality (greater nutritional or energetic value by weight or volume), although this mode of adjustment has, to our knowledge, never been demonstrated. We compared the types of prey and the metabolizable energy provisioned to male and female nestlings in one of the most sexually size dimorphic of all birds, the brown songlark, Cinclorhamphus cruralis. Within broods, we found that males not only received more prey than their smaller sisters, but also prey of apparently higher quality. This dietary disparity could result either from mothers actively discriminating between the sexes when providing prey or from competition among siblings. We suggest that sex differences in offspring diet quality may occur in a wide range of other taxa and function as an additional mechanism of sex allocation adjustment.

Vitellogenin of the parasitoid wasp, Encarsia formosa (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae): gene organization and differential use by members of the genus

The vitellogenin (Vg) gene of the parasitoid wasp, Encarsia formosa (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), has been cloned and sequenced. The gene codes for a protein consisting of 1814 amino acids in seven exons. The position of the six introns in the E. formosa gene align with those inferred for the Vg gene of the honeybee, Apis mellifera. The position of two introns in the hymenopteran sequences are shared with every full-length insect Vg gene characterized to date. The deduced amino acid sequence of the E. formosa Vg gene most closely resembles that of the ichneumonid parasitoid, Pimpla nipponica (38% identity). The gene product, less the putative signal peptide, contains large quantities of serine (11.3% of total residues) but lacks the extensive polyserine tracts found in the Vgs of insects outside the apocritan Hymenoptera. The gene also codes for the highest level of lysine (9.5%), and lowest levels of phenylalanine (2.6%) and tyrosine (2.3%), observed in any insect Vg characterized to date. The mature gene product retains 12 cysteine residues in positions conserved in other insect Vgs. Ovary homogenates suggest that processed Vg is stored in the egg as an uncleaved molecule of approximately 200 kDa. Vg expression was examined in three additional Encarsia species. The protein was found in female E. sophia and E. luteola, but not in male E. luteola or female E. pergandiella. Despite extensive screening of a phage library prepared from E. pergandiella genomic DNA, a Vg gene was not detected in this species.

A bacterial symbiont in the Bacteroidetes induces cytoplasmic incompatibility in the parasitoid wasp Encarsia pergandiella

Vertically transmitted symbionts of arthropods have been implicated in several reproductive manipulations of their hosts. These include cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), parthenogenesis induction in haplodiploid species (PI), feminization and male killing. One symbiont lineage in the alpha-Proteobacteria, Wolbachia, is the only bacterium known to cause all of these effects, and has been thought to be unique in causing CI, in which the fecundity of uninfected females is reduced after mating with infected males. Here, we provide evidence that an undescribed symbiont in the Bacteroidetes group causes CI in a sexual population of the parasitic wasp Encarsia pergandiella. Wasps were crossed in all four possible combinations of infected and uninfected individuals. In the cross predicted to be incompatible, infected (I) males x uninfected (U) females, progeny production was severely reduced, with these females producing only 12.6% of the number of progeny in other crosses. The incompatibility observed in this haplodiploid species was the female mortality type; dissections showed that most progeny from the incompatible cross died as eggs. The 16S rDNA sequence of this symbiont is 99% identical to a parthenogenesis-inducing symbiont in other Encarsia, and 96% identical to a feminizing symbiont in haplodiploid Brevipalpus mites. Thus, this recently discovered symbiont lineage is capable of inducing three of the four principal manipulations of host reproduction known to be caused by Wolbachia.

Incidence of a new sex-ratio-distorting endosymbiotic bacterium among arthropods

Many intracellular micro-organisms are now known to cause reproductive abnormalities and other phenomena in their hosts. The endosymbiont Wolbachia is the best known of these reproductive manipulators owing to its extremely high incidence among arthropods and the diverse host effects it has been implicated as causing. However, recent evidence suggests that another intracellular bacterium, a Cytophaga-like organism (CLO), may also induce several reproductive effects in its hosts. Here, we present the first survey of arthropod hosts for infection by the CLO. We use a sensitive hemi-nested polymerase chain reaction method to screen 223 species from 20 arthropod orders for infection by the CLO and Wolbachia. The results indicate that, although not as prevalent as Wolbachia, the CLO infects a significant number of arthropod hosts (ca. 7.2%). In addition, double infections of the CLO and Wolbachia were found in individuals of seven arthropod species. Sequencing analysis of the 16S rDNA region of the CLO indicates evidence for horizontal transmission of the CLO strains. We discuss these results with reference to future studies on host effects induced by intracellular micro-organisms.

The paternal sex ratio chromosome in the parasitic wasp Trichogramma kaykai condenses the paternal chromosomes into a dense chromatin mass

A recently discovered B chromosome in the parasitoid wasp Trichogramma kaykai was found to be transmitted through males only. Shortly after fertilization, this chromosome eliminates the paternal chromosome set leaving the maternal chromosomes and itself intact. Consequently, the sex ratio in these wasps is changed in favour of males by modifying fertilized diploid eggs into male haploid offspring. In this study, we show that in fertilized eggs at the first mitosis the paternal sex ratio (PSR) chromosome condenses the paternal chromosomes into a so-called paternal chromatin mass (PCM). During this process, the PSR chromosome is morphologically unaffected and is incorporated into the nucleus containing the maternal chromosomes. In the first five mitotic divisions, 67% of the PCMs are associated with one of the nuclei in the embryo. Furthermore, in embryos with an unassociated PCM, all nuclei are at the same mitotic stage, whereas 68% of the PCM-associated nuclei are at a different mitotic phase than the other nuclei in the embryo. Our observations reveal an obvious similarity of the mode of action of the PSR chromosome in T. kaykai with that of the PSR-induced paternal genome loss in the unrelated wasp Nasonia vitripennis.

Interspecific host discrimination and within-host competition between Encarsia formosa and E. pergandiella (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), two endoparasitoids of whiteflies (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)

Interspecific host discrimination and within-host competition between Encarsia formosa Gahan and Encarsia pergandiella (Howard), two endoparasitoids of whiteflies, were studied under laboratory conditions. Interspecific host discrimination was studied at two time intervals (0 h and 72 h after the first species had oviposited). Parasitized and unparasitized Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood) hosts were accepted for oviposition at the same rate by the two parasitoid species. Host type did not affect the handling time of the two parasitoids. The outcome of within-host competition was investigated after females of the two species parasitized the hosts at various time intervals. In four treatments, E. pergandiella was allowed to oviposit 0, 24, 48 and 72 h after E. formosa while in the other two, E. formosa was allowed to oviposit 0 and 72 h after E. pergandiella. In four of these treatments: E. formosa following E. pergandiella at 0 and 72 h, and E. pergandiella following E. formosa at 0 and 24 h, E. pergandiella prevailed. In the host discrimination experiment (72 h interval), 20% of E. pergandiella eggs were killed by E. formosa females. Interspecific ovicide was also observed in the within-host competition experiment, in which 6% of 72-h-old E. pergandiella eggs were killed by E. formosa females.