title: A compound produced by fruigivorous Tephritidae (Diptera) larvae promotes oviposition behavior by the biological control agent Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Hymenoptera: Braconidae).
abstract: Tephritid fruit fly parasitoids use fruit-derived chemical cues and the vibrations that result from larval movements to locate hosts sequestered inside fruit. However, compounds produced by the larvae themselves have not been previously described nor their significance to parasitoid  foraging determined. We collected the volatiles from four species of tropical and subtropical Tephritidae: Anastrepha suspensa (Loew), Bactrocera dorsalis Hendel, Bactrocera cucurbitae Coquillett, and Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), representing two subfamilies (Dacinae and Trypetinae). Para-ethylacetophenone,  an analog of a known tephritid parasitoid attractant, was a major constituent of all four, and was not associated with larvae of another acalypterate fly, Drosophila melanogaster Meigen, or with the calypterate Musca domestica L. It also was present in volatiles from whole, A. suspensa infested  fruits of Eugenia uniflora (L.). Para-ethylacetophenone was not necessarily produced as a direct consequence of fruit consumption because it also was detected from larvae that developed in two artificial diets and in spent diets subsequent to larval development. Sensillae on both the antennae  and ovipositor of the opiine braconid fruit fly parasitoid, Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead) responded to the para-ethylacetophenone in larval volatiles and as a synthetic. Although a potential cue to foraging parasitoids, para-ethylacetophenone showed no long range (>1m) attractiveness  to the adult female parasitoid, but did stimulate ovipositor-insertion and oviposition into both a natural (fruit) and an artificial (parafilm) substrate. Thus it may prove useful in colonizing and mass-rearing opine fruit fly parasitoids.
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA.
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stuhl
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sivinski
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Teal
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Paranhos
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aluja
mesh_terms: D000098:Acetophenones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D057506:Arthropod Antennae / Q000737:chemistry; D061046:Biological Control Agents; D005260:Female; D005426:Flight, Animal; D005638:Fruit / Q000469:parasitology; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D007814:Larva / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D010058:Oviposition; D010572:Pest Control, Biological; D031647:Psidium / Q000469:parasitology; D027842:Syzygium / Q000737:chemistry; D033621:Tephritidae / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D014863:Wasps / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000098:Acetophenones; D061046:Biological Control Agents; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds