Publication Type
Journal Article
Journal Name
Journal of Chemical Ecology
Publication Date
1-1-2000
Abstract
The response of mated naive Ixodiphagus hookeri females to cattle and Amblyomma variegatum nymphal odors was tested in a Y-tube olfactometer. I. hookeri females were attracted to cattle urine, dung, and odors from tick- free feeding sites of A. variegatum nymphs on cattle, e.g., dewlaps, front heels, and hind heels. Tick-free scrotal odors did not attract the parasitoids. Furthermore, odors from off-host unfed and fed A. variegatum nymphs did not attract the parasitoids, despite an increase in the number of the nymphs to amplify any odor signal. A blend of odors from feeding on-host nymphs and cattle scrota attracted the parasitoids. In T-tube bioassays, I. hookeri females were attracted to hexane washes and fecal extracts of A. variegatum nymphs.
Keywords
Amblyomma variegatum, Cattle, Host finding, Host habitat finding, Ixodiphagus hookeri, Odors, Off-host ticks, On-host ticks, T-tube olfactometer, Tick parasitoid, Y-tube olfactometer
Recommended Citation
Demas, F., Hassanali, A., Mwangi, E., Kunjeku, E., & Mabveni, A. (2000). Cattle and Amblyomma variegatum odors used in host habitat and host finding by the tick parasitoid, Ixodiphagus hookeri. Journal of Chemical Ecology, 26 (4), 1079-1093. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005497201074