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Endocrine alteration and precocious premetamorphic behaviors in the greater wax moth larvae, Galleria mellonella , parasitized by an endoparasitoid, Apanteles galleriae
Author(s) -
Wani Munenori,
Iwabuchi Kikuo,
Agui Noriaki,
Mitsuhashi Jun
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
archives of insect biochemistry and physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.576
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1520-6327
pISSN - 0739-4462
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1520-6327(1997)34:3<257::aid-arch2>3.0.co;2-s
Subject(s) - galleria mellonella , biology , ecdysteroid , instar , braconidae , pyralidae , lepidoptera genitalia , parasitoid , larva , zoology , botany , biochemistry , virulence , gene
Parasitization of Galleria mellonella (Lepidoptera: Pyralididae) larvae by a larval endoparasitoid Apanteles galleriae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) leads to the precocious expression of premetamorphic behavior in the sixth (normally penultimate) instar host larvae prior to the parasitoid's emergence. We investigated the role of parasitization with A. galleriae on the alteration of development and/or behavior of its host. The ecdysteroid titer in the hemolymph of parasitized sixth instar larvae (the last instar of parasitized larvae) was higher than that of unparasitized ones, and the high ecdysteroid concentrations induced premetamorphic behaviors such as wandering and cocoon spinning. However, the epidermis of the parasitized larvae was not pupally committed through this stage. The activity of JH esterase in the parasitized larvae remained low, and application of a JH analogue to these larvae caused the production of a larval‐type cocoon. These facts suggest that the parasitization by A. galleriae induces precocious premetamorphic behaviors of G. mellonella larvae by changing host endocrine conditions without causing the typical larval‐pupal metamorphosis. Arch. Insect Biochem. Physiol. 34:257–273, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.