| Title: | Chemical communication: butterfly anti-aphrodisiac lures parasitic wasps |
| Author(s): | Fatouros NE; Huigens ME; van Loon JJ; Dicke M; Hilker M; |
| Address: | "Institute of Biology, Freie Universitat Berlin, 12163 Berlin, Germany" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1476-4687 (Electronic) 0028-0836 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "To locate their hosts, parasitic wasps can 'eavesdrop' on the intraspecific chemical communications of their insect hosts. Here we describe an example in which the information exploited by the parasitic wasp Trichogramma brassicae is a butterfly anti-aphrodisiac that is passed from male to female Pieris brassicae butterflies during mating, to render them less attractive to conspecific males. When the tiny wasp detects the odour of a mated female butterfly, it rides on her (Fig. 1) to her egg-laying sites and then parasitizes the freshly laid eggs. If this fascinating strategy is widespread in nature, it could severely constrain the evolution of sexual communication between hosts" |
| Keywords: | Acetonitriles/pharmacology Animals Aphrodisiacs/*antagonists & inhibitors Biological Evolution Brassica/parasitology Butterflies/metabolism/*parasitology/*physiology Cues Female Male Odorants Pheromones/antagonists & inhibitors/metabolism/*pharmacology Se; |
| Notes: | "MedlineFatouros, Nina E Huigens, Martinus E van Loon, Joop J A Dicke, Marcel Hilker, Monika eng England 2005/02/18 Nature. 2005 Feb 17; 433(7027):704. doi: 10.1038/433704a" |
