Lethal Male Combat of <i>Anastatus japonicus</i> (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae), an Egg Parasitoid of Lepidopterous and Hemipterous Pests
Aggressive interactions between males are common when victors gain increased mating success but can result in severe injury or death for the defeated. <i>Anastatus japonicus</i> (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae) is a solitary egg parasitoid of hemipteran and lepidopteran species. Here, we invest...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Insects |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/16/1/45 |
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| Summary: | Aggressive interactions between males are common when victors gain increased mating success but can result in severe injury or death for the defeated. <i>Anastatus japonicus</i> (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae) is a solitary egg parasitoid of hemipteran and lepidopteran species. Here, we investigated lethal interactions between <i>A. japonicus</i> males and analyzed aggression behavior scaled with the male condition, number of competitors, number of presented females, and female mating status. The intensity of <i>A. japonicus</i> male aggressiveness increased with the number of competitors and the number of presented females but was not affected by male relatedness. The intensity and frequency of <i>A. japonicus</i> male aggressive interactions were greater when males competed for virgin females compared to mated females. Larger <i>A. japonicus</i> males won more contests than smaller males and honey-fed males defeated starved ones, where defeated males suffered the loss of appendages and/or died. Fighting appeared to be the norm in all-male groupings, regardless of the presence of females. A number of biological and ecological factors are deducted that likely contribute to the evolution of male aggressive behavior in <i>A. japonicus</i>. |
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| ISSN: | 2075-4450 |