Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-mlc7c Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-06T06:12:28.413Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Site fidelity and long-distance homing by males of solitary parasitic wasps (Hymenoptera: Scoliidae)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 January 2013

Soichiro Tani  and
Takatoshi Ueno
Soichiro Tani*
Affiliation:
Institute of Biological Control, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Hakozaki 6-10-1, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan
Takatoshi Ueno
Affiliation:
Institute of Biological Control, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Hakozaki 6-10-1, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan
*
1Corresponding author (e-mail: [email protected]).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Site fidelity and long-distance homing are known to occur in nesting female Hymenoptera. We report here on the site fidelity and homing ability in males of five species of scoliid wasps (Hymenoptera: Scoliidae), a group whose females do not make nests but are ectoparasitoids of scarabaeid beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea). The males of these wasp species patrol female emergence areas searching for mates. Based on mark-recapture data, we found that between 40% and 100% of marked males left the release area and travelled 50–800 m from the point of capture returning to their original patrol area. We discuss the adaptive significance of site fidelity and homing behaviour in Scoliidae, and propose hypotheses about the evolution of the homing behaviour in Hymenoptera. The homing ability of these primitive Aculeata may represent a case of convergent evolution with other Hymenoptera in which males patrol emergence areas in search of females. Additionally, this homing ability may serve as a preadaptation for the evolution of nest-provisioning and nesting habits in Hymenoptera.

Résumé

On sait qu'il existe une fidélité au site et un comportement de retour au site sur une grande distance chez les femelles nidificatrices d'hyménoptères. Nous décrivons ici la fidélité au site et la capacité de retour au site d'origine chez des espèces de scolies (Hymenoptera: Scoliidae), un groupe dont les femelles ne construisent pas de nid, mais qui sont des ectoparasitoïdes de scarabées (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea). Les mâles de ces espèces de guêpes patrouillent les zones d’émergence des femelles à la recherche de partenaires sexuels. Des données de marquage-recapture indiquent qu'entre 40% et 100% des mâles marqués quittent le point de libération et parcourent des distance4s de 50–800 m du point de capture avant de retourner à leur point original de patrouille. Nous discutons de la signification adaptative de la fidélité au site et du comportement de retour au site chez les Scoliidae et nous proposons des hypothèses explicatives de l’évolution du comportement de retour au site chez les hyménoptères. Le capacité de retour au site chez ces aculéates primitifs peut représenter un cas d’évolution convergente avec d'autres hyménoptères dont les mâles patrouillent les zones d’émergence à la recherche de femelles. De plus, cette capacité de retour au site a pu servir de pré-adaptation à l’évolution de l'approvisionnement des nids et des comportements de nidification chez les hyménoptères.

Type
Behaviour & Ecology – NOTE
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 145 , Issue 3 , June 2013 , pp. 333 - 337
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alcock, J. 1978. The ecology and evolution of male reproductive behavior in the bees and wasps. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 64: 293–326.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alcock, J. 1996. Site fidelity and homing ability of male of Dawson's burrowing bee (Amegilla dawsoni) (Apidae, Anthophorini). Journal of Kansas Entomological Society, 69: 182–190.Google Scholar
Allsopp, P.G.Bull, R.M. 1989. Spatial patterns and sequential sampling plans for melolonthine larvae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in southern Queensland sugarcane. Bulletin of Entomological Research, 79: 251–258.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dyer, F.C., Berry, M.A., Richard, A.S. 1993. Honey bee spatial memory: use of route-based memories after displacement. Animal Behavior, 45: 1028–1030.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Evans, H.E.West Eberhard, M.J. 1970. The wasps. The University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America.Google Scholar
Inoue, M.Endo, T. 2006. Spatiotemporal distribution and resource use of scoliid wasps (Hymenoptera) in coastal sand dunes. Entomological Science, 9: 359–371.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Iwata, K. 1971. Evolution of instinct. Mano Shoten, Yamato, Japan [In Japanese].Google Scholar
Matthes-Sears, W.Alcock, J. 1986. Hilltopping behavior of Polistes commanchus navajoe (Hymonoptera: Vespidae). Ethology, 71: 42–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miyagi, I. 1960. Ecological studies of some Japanese species of Scoliidae (Hymenoptera). Transactions of the Shikoku Entomological Society, 6: 104–120.Google Scholar
O'Neill, K.M. 2001. Solitary wasps: behavior and natural history. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, United States of America.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paxton, R.J. 2005. Male mating behaviour and mating systems of bees: an overview. Apidologia, 36: 145–156.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rivault, C.Durier, V. 2004. Homing in German cockroaches, Blattella germanica (L.) (Insecta: Dictyoptera): multi-channelled orientation cues. Ethology, 110: 761–777.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tengö, J., Schone, H., Chmurzynski, J. 1990. Homing in the digger wasp Bembix rostrata (Hymenoptera, Sphecidae). Ethology, 86: 47–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tsubaki, Y.Kitching, R.L. 1986. Central place foraging in larvae of the charaxine butterfly, Polyura pyrrhus (L.): a case study in a herbivore. Journal of Ethology, 4: 59–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ugolini, A. 1985. Initial orientation and homing in workers of Polistes gallicus (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie, 69: 133–140.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wehner, R.Wehner, S. 1990. Insect navigation: use of maps or Ariadue's thread? Ethology Ecology & Evolution, 2: 27–48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar