Egg collection for Nasonia (parasitoid wasp)

Cold Spring Harb Protoc. 2009 Oct;2009(10):pdb.prot5309. doi: 10.1101/pdb.prot5309.

Abstract

Nasonia is a complex of four closely related species of wasps with several features that make it an excellent system for a variety of genetic studies. These include a short generation time, ease of rearing, interfertile species, visible and molecular markers, and a sequenced genome. Furthermore, its parasitoid lifestyle allows investigations of questions relating to parasitoid/host dynamics, host preference, and specialist versus generalist biology. It also can serve as a behavior model for studies of courtship, male aggression and territoriality, female dispersal, and sex ratio control. This protocol describes methods to count and/or collect Nasonia eggs. Fly hosts are placed in a foam plug such that only one oviposition site is available to the female wasp.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biology / methods
  • Eggs
  • Female
  • Genetic Techniques*
  • Genome
  • Host-Parasite Interactions
  • Male
  • Models, Animal
  • Oviposition / genetics*
  • Sex Ratio
  • Species Specificity
  • Time Factors
  • Wasps / physiology*