Life history, host range, and infection behavior of the acoustically-hunting parasitoid fly Emblemasoma erro (Sarcophagidae)

Members of the sarcophagid fly tribe Emblemasomini have attracted considerable scientific interest because they are the only sarcophagids with tympanal hearing and they represent one of the few known examples of parasitoids that locate their host animals acoustically. The unique structure of their “ears” has been the focus of several physiological investigations, and these flies are referenced in many reviews of insect hearing and parasitoid biology. It is perhaps surprising, then, how little we actually know about the basic biology and ecology of these insects. Of the 16 described emblemasomines, the natural history of only a single species, Colcondamyia auditrix Shewell, has ever been investigated in any detail, and virtually nothing is known about the most common and widespread North American species, Emblemasoma erro Aldrich. Here, I report the results of a multi-year investigation of the life history, infection behaviors, and host range of Emblemasoma erro. E. erro was found to be a multivoltine, acoustically-orienting endoparasitoid of cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) that uses a combination of acoustic and visual cues to infect potential hosts. Host infection rates and parasitoid loads showed considerable variation among surveyed field sites. E. erro is widely distributed in North America and no single host species is available to it throughout its geographic range. Consequently, these flies are able to exploit a variety of cicada species as hosts.