CUTICULAR HYDROCARBONS OF WINGED AND WINGLESS MORPHS OF THE ECTOPARASITOID CHOETOSPILA-ELEGANS WESTWOOD (HYMENOPTERA, PTEROMALIDAE) AND ITSHOST, LARVAL LESSER GRAIN BORER (RHYZOPERTHA-DOMINICA) (COLEOPTERA, BOSTRICHIDAE)

1. The cuticular hydrocarbons from winged and wingless morphs of Choel ospila elegans, a larval ectoparasite of several internal-feeding stor ed product beetle pests, were characterized. 2. All four morphs share the same cuticular hydrocarbons, with the major components being n-alk anes (C21-C33). 3. The minor components are 3-, 11- and 13-methyl bran ched alkanes and Z-10-monoenes. 4. Two-way analysis of variance (sex a nd wing morph) shows that males and females have the same profiles, wh ereas four components showed significant differences between wingtype morphs. 5. Only one of these four hydrocarbons (n-C31) was a major com ponent. 6. The cuticular hydrocarbons of larvae of the lesser grain bo rer, Rhyzopertha dominica, were also characterized. 7. Although the be etles' major components were the same n-alkanes as those found on the adult parasites, their minor components were different. 8. Thus, the b eetle larvae have no alkenes, but instead have 3-, 11-, 13- and 15-met hylbranched alkanes, as well as a series of 11,15-dimethylalkanes. 9. A cuticular hydrocarbon profile obtained on a population of C. elegans winged females that had been reared on rice weevil larvae was nearly identical to that from winged females reared on the lesser grain borer larvae.