Exploitation of host mating behaviour by a parasitoid fly.
- 1Institut de recherche en biologie végétale, Département de sciences biologiques, Université de Montréal , 4101 rue Sherbrooke E., Montréal, Québec, H1X 2B2, Canada.
- 2Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia , 16123 Perugia, Italy.
Abstract
Egg-laying decisions are crucial in insect parasitoids because the host constitutes the only resource available for immature development. We estimated the extent to which host sex, size and mating behaviour are involved and interact in shaping host selection in the association between the Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica, and a parasitoid fly, Istocheta aldrichi. Under field conditions, we found that females and larger individuals of the Japanese beetle, both males and females, are associated with the highest levels of parasitism, regardless of seasonal variations in host size and sex ratio. Furthermore, we propose that foraging I. aldrichi females exploit the sexual selection behaviour of the host to their own advantage. The increased vulnerability to parasitism of Japanese beetle females during mating when immobilized by males, the extended duration of mating and the preference of males for larger females contribute to the strong bias towards large females being the most parasitized. This leads to the hypothesis that I. aldrichi females have evolved to 'merely' rely on Japanese beetle males to select the most suitable hosts for reproduction. Finally, we discuss the possible impact on both seasonal and long-term demographics of the Japanese beetle populations and biological control.
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BibTeX
@article{brodeur2026exploitation,
title = {{Exploitation of host mating behaviour by a parasitoid fly.}},
author = {Jacques Brodeur and Josée Doyon and Gabriele Rondoni and Simon Legault},
journal = {Biology letters},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1098/rsbl.2026.0224},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42901536},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Exploitation of host mating behaviour by a parasitoid fly.
AU - Jacques Brodeur
AU - Josée Doyon
AU - Gabriele Rondoni
AU - Simon Legault
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Biology letters
DO - 10.1098/rsbl.2026.0224
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42901536
AB - Egg-laying decisions are crucial in insect parasitoids because the host constitutes the only resource available for immature development. We estimated the extent to which host sex, size and mating behaviour are involved and interact in shaping host selection in the association between the Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica, and a parasitoid fly, Istocheta aldrichi. Under field conditions, we found that females and larger individuals of the Japanese beetle, both males and females, are associated with the highest levels of parasitism, regardless of seasonal variations in host size and sex ratio. Furthermore, we propose that foraging I. aldrichi females exploit the sexual selection behaviour of the host to their own advantage. The increased vulnerability to parasitism of Japanese beetle females during mating when immobilized by males, the extended duration of mating and the preference of males for larger females contribute to the strong bias towards large females being the most parasitized. This leads to the hypothesis that I. aldrichi females have evolved to 'merely' rely on Japanese beetle males to select the most suitable hosts for reproduction. Finally, we discuss the possible impact on both seasonal and long-term demographics of the Japanese beetle populations and biological control.
SN - 1744-9561
SN - 1744-957X
ER -