Wolbachia infection and parasitoid occurrence among plant-feeding caterpillars of the endangered butterfly Phengaris teleius (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) in southern Poland | Zendy

Ewa B. Śliwińska | Zendy; Rafał Martyka | Zendy; Mariusz Cichoń | Zendy; Piotr Tryjanowski | Zendy

Open Access

Wolbachia infection and parasitoid occurrence among plant-feeding caterpillars of the endangered butterfly Phengaris teleius (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) in southern Poland

Author(s) -

Ewa B. Śliwińska,

Rafał Martyka,

Mariusz Cichoń,

Piotr Tryjanowski

Publication year - 2019

Publication title -

entomologica fennica

Language(s) - English

Resource type - Journals

SCImago Journal Rank - 0.173

H-Index - 21

eISSN - 2489-4966

pISSN - 0785-8760

DOI - 10.33338/ef.79902

Subject(s) - biology , lycaenidae , wolbachia , lepidoptera genitalia , parasitoid , butterfly , nymphalidae , ecology , population , instar , endangered species , parasitism , host (biology) , interspecific competition , pieris brassicae , zoology , larva , habitat , demography , sociology

Parasites are an important component of ecological communities, as they shape host population dynamics and interfere with interspecific competition in ecosystems. Here, we studied Wolbachia infection and parasitoid occurrence among caterpillars of the endangered Phengaris teleius butterfly in five populations inhabiting southern Poland. The knowledge about potential parasites of P. teleius may be of particular importance for understanding forces regulating population processes of this species. Our study showed lack of Wolbachia infection and endoparasitoids in the sample of 91 4th instar P. teleius caterpillars. However, we found larvae of an unidentified hymenopteran ectoparasitoid on 17 3rd and 4th instar P. teleius caterpillars. We compare our results to findings from other populations of P. teleius, and its sister species in Europe and Asia, and discuss possible causes of observed patterns of parasite occurrence.

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