Platygaster californica parasitoid dispersal release experiment, Richmond Field Station, CA, USA, 2000

Field trials were used to characterise the dispersal capability of Platygaster californica Ashmead (Platygasteridae), a parasitoid of the gall midge Rhopalomyia californica Felt (Cecidomyiidae). The field trials showed that the distribution of parasitism over distance from a central release point was hump-shaped, as predicted by a simple diffusion model. Mean parasitoid dispersal distance was 4.5 m, considerably farther than the 1.7 m mean midge dispersal found in previous work. Darrouzet-Nardi, A., M.F. Hoopes, J.D. Walker, and C.J. Briggs. Dispersal and foraging behavior of Platygaster californica: Hosts can't run, but they can hide. Ecological Entomology 31:298-306.