Lugar(es) de estudio: Tapachula de Córdova y Ordoñez, Chis., México

Resumen: "Egg parasitoids use different strategies than do larval parasitoids to locate hosts. The wasp Chelonus insularisCresson is a key egg parasitoid of the fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), one of the maininsect pests of maize (Zea mays L.). Using a Y-glass tube olfactometer, in this study we determined the roles ofchemical cues from host and host habitats used by C. insularis when they search for FAW eggs. We found that C.insularis females were attracted to volatiles emitted by host egg masses, host females (i.e., sex pheromone), andmaize seedlings with and without FAW eggs. The responses of the parasitoids to host and maize seedling volatilesincreased after their first oviposition experience, making it possible for females to discriminate between maizeseedlings with and without FAW eggs. The information generated in this study may be useful in the developmentof future biological control programs of S. frugiperda using C. insularis in either augmentation or conservationapproaches."