PHYSIOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL-ANALYSIS OF FACTORS IN THE FEMALE VENOMGLAND AND LARVAL SALIVARY SECRETIONS OF THE ECTOPARASITOID WASP EUPELMUS-ORIENTALIS

The stinging adult female and the biting newly-hatched larva of the so litary ectoparasitoid wasp Eupelmus orientalis can both cause permanen t paralysis and stop the development of Callosobruchus maculatus host larvae, These two processes of host envenomation appeared to be indepe ndent and complementary in primary parasitism or in hyperparasitism of a distantly related hymenopteran host species, In contrast, the devel opment of larvae as hyperparasites on members of their own species or genus depended completely on the prior injection of female venom, The venoms of the female and the first instar larva had similar effects on the cellular metabolism of the primary hosts, Protein synthesis was b locked in C. maculatus hosts envenomated by a female or a first instar larva of E. orientalis, but the absence of DNA breakdown indicated th at these paralysed hosts were alive and quiescent, The venomous secret ions injected by adult females and first instar Larvae of E. orientali s had distinct electrophoretic profiles, The immunoreactive features o f proteins from female venom and larval secretions were also examined, There is evidence for antigenic conservation between some venom prote ins of E. orientalis and Apis mellifera. Lastly, the hyaluronidase, ph ospholipase and lipase activities in the female venom gland and in lar val-derived secretions off. orientalis were assayed, No lipase activit y was detected, Phospholipase activity was found in both the female ve nom and the larval secretions of E. orientalis, whereas hyaluronidase was specific to the female venom. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.