Parasitoids and Parasites of Polistes metricus Say (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in Northeast Georgia

• Published in: Annals of the Entomological Society of America Vol. 96; no. 1; pp. 61 - 64
• Main Authors: Hodges, Amanda C, Hodges, Gregory S, Espelie, Karl E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lanham, MD Entomological Society of America 01-01-2003
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Autoecology; Biological and medical sciences; Chalcoela pegasalis Walker; ECOLOGY AND POPULATION BIOLOGY; Elasmus polistis Burks; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Pachysomoides fulvus Cresson; Polistes metricus Say; Protozoa. Invertebrata; Xenos peckii Kirby; Georgia; United States; North America; America; Host parasite relation; Chalcoela pegasalis Walker; Prevalence; Eulophidae; Insecta; Parasite; Elasmus polistis Burks; Xenos peckii Kirby; Parasitoid; Pyralidae; Faunal survey; Animal community; Pachysomoides fulvus Cresson; Arthropoda; Chalcidoidea; Polistes metricus Say; Lepidoptera; Vespidae; Parasitism rate; Ichneumonidae; Hymenoptera; Invertebrata; Aculeata
• ISSN: 0013-8746; 1938-2901; 0013-8746
• DOI: 10.1603/0013-8746(2003)096[0061:PAPOPM]2.0.CO;2

The strepsipteran Xenos peckii Kirby, the ichneumonid Pachysomoides fulvus Cresson, the pyralid Chalcoela pegasalis Walker, and the eulophid Elasmus polistis Burks were recorded from 303 Polistes metricus Say early season colonies collected from northeast Georgia during 1997–2000. Colonies of P. metricus were significantly more likely to be infested by X. peckii than by P. fulvus, C. pegasalis, or E. polistis. Both X. peckii and C. pegasalis infested colonies more frequently when either eggs, larvae, and pupae or only larvae and pupae were present in the nest.