PERFUMED TO BE KILLED - INTERCEPTION OF MEDITERRANEAN FRUIT-FLY (DIPTERA, TEPHRITIDAE) SEXUAL SIGNALING BY PREDATORY FORAGING WASPS (HYMENOPTERA, VESPIDAE)

In a previous held study we demonstrated that predation on pheromone c alling Mediterranean fruit By, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), males b y the yellowjacket wasps Vespula germanica (F.) is mediated through ol factory foraging behavior, The objectives of the current study were to assess wasp predation on sexually immature and mature C. capita,a eng aged in sexual and nonsexual activites on foliage and fruit and to con firm whether overall wasp attacks and prey capture rates are sexually biased Our results indicate that capture rate of flies by foraging was ps is highly influenced by By activity, with mature signaling males be ing subject to a majority of the attacks and suffering the highest los ses on foliage, whereas on fruit it was ovipositing females that suffe red the highest mortality. However, mature but virgin females also suf fered considerable losses on foliage while visiting leking males. Mati ng pairs, even though they tended to leave the lek immediately after p air formation, suffered the highest predation losses proportionate to the number of attacks. Possible reasons for this activity- and sex-bia sed predation are discussed.