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Behaviour and chemical signature of pre-hibernating females of Polistes dominulus infected by the strepsipteran Xenos vesparum

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 November 2006

L. DAPPORTO ,
A. CINI ,
E. PALAGI ,
M. MORELLI ,
A. SIMONTI  and
S. TURILLAZZI
L. DAPPORTO
Affiliation:
Centro Interdipartimentale Museo di Storia Naturale e del Territorio dell'Università di Pisa, Via Roma 79, 56011 Calci (PI), Italy
A. CINI
Affiliation:
Centro Interdipartimentale Museo di Storia Naturale e del Territorio dell'Università di Pisa, Via Roma 79, 56011 Calci (PI), Italy
E. PALAGI
Affiliation:
Centro Interdipartimentale Museo di Storia Naturale e del Territorio dell'Università di Pisa, Via Roma 79, 56011 Calci (PI), Italy
M. MORELLI
Affiliation:
Centro Interdipartimentale Museo di Storia Naturale e del Territorio dell'Università di Pisa, Via Roma 79, 56011 Calci (PI), Italy
A. SIMONTI
Affiliation:
Centro Interdipartimentale Museo di Storia Naturale e del Territorio dell'Università di Pisa, Via Roma 79, 56011 Calci (PI), Italy
S. TURILLAZZI
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Biologia Animale e Genetica “Leo Pardi”, Università di Firenze via Romana 17 50125 Firenze, Italy Centro Interdipartimentale di servizi di Spettrometria di Massa (CISM) University of Firenze, Viale G. Pieraccini 6, 50139 Firenze, Italy
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Abstract

Polistes dominulus are social wasps which are the host of the strepsipteran endoparasite Xenos vesparum. In the hibernating phase, unparasitized and parasitized wasps leave natal nests and aggregate together in sheltered quarters. In aggregations, wasps are socially active, and some individuals perform helping behaviour. Here we investigated if castrated parasitized wasps perform worker tasks in mixed aggregations. Moreover, by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, we examined the cuticular hydrocarbons of unparasitized and parasitized wasps to evaluate if the infection alters the composition of cuticular waxes that are recognition cues in social insects. In clusters, infected females do not perform helping behaviour and they are less active than unparasitized wasps. Cuticular hydrocarbons are slightly differentiated between unparasitized and parasitized wasps but, generally, unparasitized wasps are more similar to wasps infected by Xenos females compared to wasps infected by Xenos males. Wasps infected by Xenos males do not usually survive the winter. This chemical similarity is probably a consequence of the similar physiological condition of unparasitized and female-affected Polistes wasps. At this stage, it is difficult to affirm whether these modifications are a true parasite manipulation or a consequence of infection.

Keywords

Polistes dominulusXenos vesparumhibernationbehaviourcuticular hydrocarbons
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 134 , Issue 4 , April 2007 , pp. 545 - 552
Copyright
© 2006 Cambridge University Press

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