| 要旨トップ | 目次 | 日本生態学会第59回全国大会 (2012年3月,大津) 講演要旨
ESJ59/EAFES5 Abstract


一般講演(ポスター発表) P1-248J (Poster presentation)

Strepsipteran parasites control the pollination behavior of their host bees.

*Nakase, Y. (Kyoto Univ.), Kato, M. (Kyoto Univ.)

Strepsiptera, known as "twisted-winged parasites", is an insect order with nine families making up about 600 species. They are parasites of other insects. The male is the winged, dispersal stage; females are apterous, larviform, and viviparous and permanently reside within their host in all but the most basal family. The sclerotized head end (cephalotheca) of larviform females typically protrudes slightly from between host tergites, copulating with a male and exiting many small first instar larvae through a brood-canal opening on the cephalothorax. First instar larvae of Stylopidae strepsipterans show specialized forms for phoresy. The larvae disperse by phoresy through flowers to reach and parasitize eggs and larvae of host bees. Parasitized bees lose their fecundity and nest building instincts. Though bees visit flower and collect pollen and nectar, they feed only nectar. Adult bees collect pollen as food for larvae, so parasitized bees that don’t build their nests need not collect pollen. When parasitized bees visit flowers that provide only pollen as reward, Bees gain nothing by visiting flowers. While it is efficinet for strepsipterans to infest new host by they control parasitized bees to flowers where nests building bees visit frequently. In this study, we revealed how strepsipteran parasites control the pollination behavior of their host bees.


日本生態学会