Phoretic egg parasitoid,Telenomus euproctidis (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae), uses sex pheromone of tussock mothEuproctis taiwana (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) as a kairomone.
The phoretic egg parasitoid,Telenomus euproctidis Wilcox (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) was found more frequently on virgin than on mated female moths ofEuproctis taiwana (Shiraki) (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae), when virgin and mated moths were exposed concurrently in the field for 24 hr. A synthetic component of the moth's sex pheromone. (Z)-16-methyl-9-heptadecenyl isobutyrate, attracted both the wasp,T. euproctidis, and maleE. taiwana. These findings suggest thatT. euproctidis uses the sex pheromone of the female moth,E. taiwana, as a kairomone to locate a host female moth and through her the host eggs.
Department of Insect Physiology and Behavior, National Institute of Sericultural and Entomological Science Tsukuba, 305, Ibaraki, Japan.
N
N
Arakaki
S
S
Wakamura
T
T
Yasuda