Hydrophylita (Lutzimicron) emporos Shih & Polaszek (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) from Taiwan, parasitising eggs, and phoretic on adults, of the damselfly Psolodesmus mandarinus mandarinus (Zygoptera: Calopterygidae)

Yuan Tung Shih; Chiun Cheng Ko; Kuang Tao Pan; Sue Cheng Lin; Andrew Polaszek

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0069331

Hydrophylita (Lutzimicron) emporos Shih & Polaszek (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) from Taiwan, parasitising eggs, and phoretic on adults, of the damselfly Psolodesmus mandarinus mandarinus (Zygoptera: Calopterygidae)

PLoS One. 2013 Jul 24;8(7):e69331. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0069331. Print 2013.

Authors

Yuan Tung Shih¹, Chiun Cheng Ko, Kuang Tao Pan, Sue Cheng Lin, Andrew Polaszek

Affiliation

¹ Department of Entomology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.

Abstract

Hydrophylita emporos n. sp. reared from eggs of Psolodesmus mandarinus mandarinus McLachlan (Zygoptera: Calopterygidae) in Taiwan is described. This is the first species of Hydrophylita to be described from the Old World, and the first record of phoresy in the genus. Adult females were observed aggregating at the base of the female damselfly's abdomen. When the damselfly begins ovipositing, females move to the tip of the abdomen, enter the water and quickly locate eggs for parasitising. The article contains links to video footage of this process.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Female
Hymenoptera / physiology*
Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
Odonata / parasitology*
Oviposition / physiology
Taiwan

Grants and funding

The study was supported by a grant (NSC, 100-2313-B-002-014) from National Science Council, Taiwan, to the 1st author. The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.