Comparison of life tables between the solitary eumenid waspAnterhynchium flavomarginatum and the subsocial eumenid waspOrancistrocerus drewseni to evaluate the adaptive significance of maternal care |
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Authors: | Takao Itino |
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Institution: | (1) Laboratory of Applied Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kagawa University, Miki-tyo, Kita-gun, 761-07 Kagawa, Japan |
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Abstract: | Summary I compared life tables between the solitary eumenid waspAnterhynchium flavomarginatum
Smith and the subsocial eumenid waspOrancistrocerus drewseni
Saussure in Kyoto, Japan, during 1980–1983. The subsocial eumenid is parthenogenetic in this study area. There were 9 identified mortality
factors in the solitary eumenid and 7 in the subsocial eumenid, 6 of which were common to the two eumenids. The important
differences of mortality between the two eumenids were seen in the egg, larval, and prepupal stages. In the egg stage, mortality
by the phorid flyMegaselia sp. was much lower in the subsocial eumenid (1.4%) than in the solitary eumenid (15.0%) likely because of the matenal care
of the subsocial eumenid (progressive provisioning and other related behavior), which reduced predation pressure. In the larval
stage, mortality by the miltogrammine flyAmobia distorta was also lower in the subsocial eumenid (8.1%) than in the solitary eumenid (23.8%) also probably because of the maternal
care of the subsocial eumenid. A comparison of mortality in the two eumenids between the stable, long continuing natural nest
sites and the additional temporal ones showed that the phorid fly remained near its birth place and parasitized stable nest
sites. The miltogrammine fly followed returning eumenid wasps and parasitized those nest sites that have a high host density.
In the prepupal stage, mortality by endogenous death was higher in the subsocial eumenid than in the solitary eumenid. Mortality
due to the rhipiphorid beetle was also higher in the subsocial eumenid probably due to more frequent flower-visits by the
subsocial eumenid.
The defense mechanism of the subsocial eumenid was discussed in relation to the evolution of subsociality.
Contribution to the ecological studies of the eumenid wasps. I. |
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