Herbivore induced fruit volatiles guide the solitary tephritid endoparasitoid Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in selecting an oviposition substrate

Abstract

Abstract Oviposition in a generalist parasitoid is a complex process that involves interactions among its host, host plant, and spatiotemporal environment. Our study was aimed at exploring the ability of a generalist parasitic wasp, Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), in perceiving odor cues from its host insect [Oriental fruit fly Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel, Diptera: Tephritidae)] in infested mango fruits. A series of experiments involving behavioral and electrophysiological studies suggest that D. longicaudata is able to distinguish host infested fruit volatiles from uninfested. Additionally, we found that D. longicaudata can distinguish between high and low-level infestations using specific cues emanating from fruits. Coupled gas chromatography-electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of infested mango fruit head space volatiles identified compounds such as ethyl butanoate, ethyl 3-hydroxybutyrate, β-myrcene, trans-β-ocimene, allo-ocimene, ethyl octanoate, ethyl-α-toulate, β-elemene, β-caryophyllene, humulene, caryophyllene oxide, ethyl dodecanoate, ethyl hexadecanoate, 2-furancarboxylic acid, 3-hydroxy-2-methyl-4-pyrone, and phenethyl alcohol emanated from three different host treatments with different levels of larval infestation which elicited antennal responses in D. longicaudata. We suggest that these cues might play a significant role in attracting D. longicaudata in the field.