Galls as a Disputed Resource for Female Parasitoid Wasps Contests

We investigated how the parasitoid Torymus sp. (Hymenoptera: Torymidae) attacking galls of Schismatodiplosis lantanae (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) on Lantana camara (Verbenaceae) behaves in the presence of a conspecific female competitor in the patch. Presence of a competitor greatly changed resident exploitation behavior. Wasps alone spent more time in gall exploitation behaviors (walk-antennate and probe) and in post-oviposition behaviors (stationary and groom), and when intruders were present they spent more time walking. The attack strategy was through threatening: raising wings and pointing the antennae towards the opponent. Different from theoretical expectations, residents were not always the attacker. Number of galls in the patch and female wasp size did not affect contest outcomes, although gall exploitation time and time on leaf were significant factors for the probability of having attacks. Overall, the study highlights the fact that intruder interest in the host was the main cause of contests and also this is a unique report both in terms of the target species and the nature of the disputed resource, a gall-inducer inside a singular spatial unit, the gall.

An endoparasitoid uses its egg surface proteins to regulate its host immune response

With proteomic analysis,we identified 379 egg surface proteins from an endoparasitoid,Cotesia chilonis.Proteins containing conserved enzymatic domains constitute a large proportion of egg surface components.Some proteins,such as superoxidase dismutase,homolog of C.rubecula 32-kDa protein,and immunoevasive protein-2A,are classical parasitism factors that have known functions in host immunity regulation.Melanization assays revealed that a novel egg surface protein,C.chilonis egg surface serpin domain-containing protein had the same function as a C.chilonis venom serpin,as both suppressed host melanization in a dose-dependent manner.C.chilonis egg surface serpin domain-containing protein is mainly transcribed in C.chilonis oocytes with follicular cells,and it is located on both the anterior and posterior sides of the mature egg surface.Additionally,we used LC-MS/MS to identify 586 binding proteins sourced from C.suppressalis plasma located on the eggshell surface of C.chilonis,which included some immunity-related proteins.These results not only indicate that C.chilonis uses its egg surface proteins to reduce the immune response of its host but also imply that endoparasitoid egg surface proteins might be a new parasitism factor involved in host immune regulation.