Distinct linear hydrocarbon profiles and chemical  strategy of facultative parasitism among Mischocyttarus wasps.
Insects  use pheromones as a means of chemical communication. Pheromones act on individual  receptors and produce specific behavioral or physiological responses that are  fundamental to intra- and interspecific recognition. The objective of this  study was to evaluate the interspecific differences among the linear  hydrocarbon profiles of the cuticles of 3 wasp species of the genus Mischocyttarus.  The chemical strategy that permits an interaction among 2 of these species was  also examined about their hydrocarbon profiles. The cuticular hydrocarbons  present on the abdomen of each individual were extracted with hexane in an  ultrasonic bath and analyzed using gas chromatography with a flame ionization  detector. The results suggested that the wasp species have distinct chemical  signatures as the linear hydrocarbons of their cuticles. However, these  signatures are more alike in those with similar morphological and behavioral  aspects. These similarities facilitate an interaction of facultative parasitism  observed among these species, in which the invaders acquire parts of the  chemical signature of the host colony, possibly as a chemical strategy to  increase the likelihood that an invader will be accepted by the females of a  host colony. Both invader and host have their own chemical signature changed by  the first contact between the species.
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Recursos Naturais, Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul, Dourados, MS, Brasil.
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Ferreira
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Cardoso
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Neves
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Súarez
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Antonialli-Junior
D000473:Alkanes / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D010675:Pheromones / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D012543:Scent Glands / Q000378:metabolism; D013045:Species Specificity; D014863:Wasps / Q000378:metabolism*
D000473:Alkanes; D006838:Hydrocarbons; D010675:Pheromones