Unveiling behavior modification induced by the Ticapimpla Darwin wasp (Ichneumonidae).

Kloss, Thiago G.; Gaione-Costa, Alexander; Mendes-Pereira, Thairine; de Pádua, Diego G.; Silva-Santos, Isamara; Goés-Neto, Aristóteles; Di Ponzio, Raffaello

Polysphinctine ichneumonid wasps comprise a group of koinobiont ectoparasitoids, in which all species complete their life cycle by developing the larval stage on an active host spider. Although the larvae of most species are known to manipulate the web-building behavior of the host spider during the pre-pupal stage, there is still a lack of biological understanding and host identity for six out of the 25 genera that form the group, including Aravenator, Chablisea, Dreisbachia, Lamnatibia, Pterinopus, and Ticapimpla. In this study, we offer the first insights into the biology of Ticapimpla wasps. We described the web modifications induced by T. carinata in their host spider Spilasma duodecimguttata, comparing webs built by parasitized and non-parasitized individuals of S. duodecimguttata, collected in a continuous old-growth forest in the Central Amazon. In addition, we provide the placement of Ticapimpla carinata in the molecular phylogeny of the Polysphincta group of genera. We observed a distinct difference between the webs of unparasitized S. duodecimguttata and those of individuals parasitized by T. carinata. Modified webs were characterized by a reduced number of radii and the absence of sticky spirals, resembling patterns seen in other Araneidae species parasitized by polysphinctine wasps. Furthermore, we provide robust support that Ticapimpla carinata forms a monophyletic clade with species of the genus Acrotaphus and discuss host specificity in polysphinctine group.

AMAZON River Region; BEHAVIOR modification; FOREST biodiversity; SPIDER behavior; MOLECULAR phylogeny; ORB weavers

Ethology Ecology & Evolution, 2024, Vol 36, Issue 6, p697

0394-9370

Academic Journal

10.1080/03949370.2024.2419127