Thomas M. Odell

Host selection byBlepharipa pratensis (Meigen), a tachinid parasite of the gypsy moth,Lymantria dispar L.

The host selection process ofBlepharipa pratensis (Meigen), a tachinid parasite of the gypsy moth,Lymantria dispar L., was investigated. Once in the hosts habitat, and following contact with a recently damaged leaf edge (cut, torn, eaten), the fly orients perpendicular to the edge and moves back and forth with the front tarsi grasping the damaged edge. Oviposturing (oviposition intention) may occur. Leaf exudates appear to arrest the fly on the leaf and increase tarsal examination (searching). If an edge of a gypsy moth-eaten leaf is contacted, oviposition usually occurs. Significantly more eggs are laid when host-browsed foliage is encountered, compared to mechanically cut or damaged foliage, indicating response to a cue left by the host during feeding. The number of host-damaged leaf clusters in an area significantly enhances oviposition there; in field-cage tests, significantly more eggs (7911) were laid in simulated-crown areas with all clusters browsed, compared to the adjacent areas containing 1/2 browsed (4200 eggs) and undamaged clusters (2209 eggs). A host selection sequence is suggested and discussed.

Nerolidol: An antifeeding sesquiterpene alcohol for gypsy moth larvae fromMelaleuca leucadendron

A systematic procedure is reported for the isolation of a feeding deterrent, (E,S)-nerolidol (I), fromMelaleuca leucadendron leaves for the gypsy moth larvae. Testing of the related alcohols, farnesol (II) and geraniol (III) showed them to be deterrent, but the simpler isoprene-related compounds, 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol andt-amyl alcohol were inactive.

Capture of gypsy moth,Lymantria dispar (L.), andLymantria mathura (L.) males in traps baited with disparlure enantiomers and olefin precursor in the People's Republic of China

Pheromone traps baited with (+)-disparlure,cis-7,8-epoxy-2methyocta-decane, captured males ofLymantria dispar, L. monacha, andL. mathura in northeastern Peoples Republic of China.L. dispar responded to the addition of olefin to (+)-disparlure-baited traps in a negative doseresponse manner. Observations on site and seasonal capture ofL. dispar andL. mathura are discussed.

Larviposition of Compsilura concinnata (meigen) (diptera: Tachinidae), a parasitoid of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.) (lepidoptera: Lymantriidae)

Larviposition of Compsilura concinnata, a polyphagous tachinid parasitoid of Lepidoptera, is described. The conventional assessment, long‐established in the literature, places the site of larval deposition by C. concinnata as directly into the hosts gut. New evidence, reported here, contradicts the earlier view. Dissection of 38 freshly parasitized gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) larvae revealed as many maggots (n = 26) situated in the lumen of the midgut as were free in the hemocoel. Observations on maggot behavior and morphology in dissected hosts are briefly presented.