title: Striking cuticular hydrocarbon dimorphism in the mason wasp Odynerus spinipes and its possible evolutionary cause (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae, Vespidae).
abstract: Cleptoparasitic wasps and bees smuggle their eggs into the nest of a host organism. Here the larvae of the cleptoparasite feed upon the food provision intended for the offspring of the host. As cleptoparasitism incurs a loss of fitness for the host organism (offspring of the host fail to develop), hosts of cleptoparasites are expected to exploit cues that alert them to potential cleptoparasite infestation. Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) could serve as such cues, as insects inevitably leave traces of them behind when entering a nest. By mimicking the host's CHC profile, cleptoparasites can conceal their presence and evade detection by their host. Previous studies have provided evidence of cleptoparasites mimicking their host's CHC profile. However, the impact of this strategy on the evolution of the host's CHC profile has remained unexplored. Here, we present results from our investigation of a host-cleptoparasite system consisting of a single mason wasp species that serves syntopically as the host to three cuckoo wasp species. We found that the spiny mason wasp (Odynerus spinipes) is able to express two substantially different CHC profiles, each of which is seemingly mimicked by a cleptoparasitic cuckoo wasp (i.e. Chrysis mediata and Pseudospinolia neglecta). The CHC profile of the third cuckoo wasp (Chrysis viridula), a species not expected to benefit from mimicking its host's CHC profile because of its particular oviposition strategy, differs from the two CHC profiles of its host. Our results corroborate the idea that the similarity of the CHC profiles between cleptoparasitic cuckoo wasps and their hosts are the result of chemical mimicry. They further suggest that cleptoparasites may represent a hitherto unappreciated force that drives the evolution of their hosts' CHCs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Evolutionary Biology and Animal Ecology, University of Freiburg, Hauptstraße 1, Freiburg 79114, Germany Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, Würzburg 97074, Germany mareike.wurdack@stud-mail.uni-wuerzburg.de.
authors.forename: Mareike
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0828-8590
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wurdack
authors.affiliation: Center for Molecular Biodiversity Research, Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Adenauerallee 160, Bonn 53113, Germany.
authors.forename: Sina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Herbertz
authors.affiliation: Center for Molecular Biodiversity Research, Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Adenauerallee 160, Bonn 53113, Germany.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-0452-9265
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dowling
authors.affiliation: Research Group Insect Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute of Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, Jena 07745, Germany.
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kroiss
authors.affiliation: Institute of Zoology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, Regensburg 93040, Germany.
authors.forename: Erhard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Strohm
authors.affiliation: Department of Invertebrates, Natural History Museum Bern, Bernastrasse 15, Bern 3005, Switzerland Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, Bern 3012, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Hannes
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Baur
authors.affiliation: Center for Molecular Biodiversity Research, Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Adenauerallee 160, Bonn 53113, Germany.
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Niehuis
authors.affiliation: Department of Evolutionary Biology and Animal Ecology, University of Freiburg, Hauptstraße 1, Freiburg 79114, Germany Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, Würzburg 97074, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schmitt
mesh_terms: D000819:Animal Communication; D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003463:Cues; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000737:chemistry*; D009812:Odorants; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013045:Species Specificity; D014863:Wasps / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D006838:Hydrocarbons
keywords: Eumeninae; balancing selection; chemical mimicry; cleptoparasitism; cuticular hydrocarbons