Host‐related antennal variation in the polyphagous egg parasite <i>Telenomus alsophilae</i> (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae)

Abstract

Abstract. The solitary egg parasite Telenomus alsophilae was reared from the eggs of six lepidopteran hosts of two families. One‐way analyses of variance showed statistically significant differences among host classes for means of (a) lengths and widths of all female antennomeres; and (b) in twelve of twenty‐three means of log‐transformed ratios constructed from pairs of antennomere dimensions. Principal component analyses of dispersion matrices of both untransformed and log‐transformed antennomere dimensions were conducted to examine patterns of variation among variables. In both analyses PCI was a general component and interpreted as a measure of overall size. One‐way analyses of variance of projection scores of OTUs on each of the first five principal components showed significant differences among host classes for means of scores on (a) PCI (both analyses) and (b) PC4 for untransformed data and PC3 for log‐transformed data. Differences among hosts classes for scores on the latter two components are interpreted to indicate that antennal variation results from factors in addition to simple size differences among host eggs and the allometric growth of body parts of parasites reared from them.