Mealworms, Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) were used to test the parasitic wasp Melittobia digitata (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) for the ability to paralyze their host. After two days the mealworms were tested for movement. Movement tests were conducted immediately after the removal of the females, and then again immediately after by a “blind” researcher. Treatment, presence or absence of movement, and visual observations were recorded. Initial investigation suggests that there is both a paralysis and a developmental arrest in mealworms that were attacked by M. digitata.
Species 1: Hymenoptera Eulophidae Melittobia digitata
Species 2: Coleoptera Tenebrionidae Tenebrio molitor (yellow mealworm)
Keywords: venom effects
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