Host egg volatiles are involved in brood parasitism in predatory mites

Recently, we reported brood parasitism in the tiny predatory mite Neoseiulus californicus (Acari: Phytoseiidae); adult females of this species prefer to add their eggs to a cluster of eggs of another predatory mite species, Gynaeseius liturivorus (Acari: Phytoseiidae), which guards its own eggs against egg predators.

Here, we investigated the cues used by the blind N. californicus to detect eggs of G. liturivorus.

We show that N. californicus locates oviposition sites of G. liturivorus using volatiles emanating from eggs of the latter species.

Adult female G. liturivorus spent more time guarding oviposition sites that contain more eggs, which resulted in a higher per capita survival of the eggs. We therefore hypothesized that N. californicus would prefer oviposition sites with more G. liturivorus eggs.

Indeed, N. californicus preferably laid their egg at oviposition sites containing more than six G. liturivorus eggs, which corresponds to the average number laid by a female G. liturivorus during one day.

Our results suggest that N. californicus uses egg volatiles to localize oviposition sites of G. liturivorus, where the eggs of the former are effectively protected against egg predators.