Exploring the role of a male produced pheromone in the mating system of the parasitoid wasp Urolepis rufipes

Mate finding and choice may be mediated through multiple signaling modalities including visual auditory and olfactory. Use of chemical signals for sexual communication is ubiquitous for a large proportion of insects. Pheromones are thought to play a large role in the sexual communication of parasitic wasps and may also act as honest signals of the sender’s health and resources. Most research has focused on female-produced pheromones used for attracting mates over large distances or on the role pheromones play in species and mate recognition. Little work has been done exploring male produced pheromones, how pheromones can act as honest signals, and how pheromones may be involved in mate assessment. The chemical identity of pheromones has been determined for a small minority of species of parasitic wasps. This study aims to examine a substrate-borne pheromone produced by male Urolepis rufipes and to understand the role it plays in their mating system.  Behavioral assays reveal how females respond to pheromones from males of differing reproductive quality, and whether response differs between virgin and mated females. We also test for costs of pheromone production and those incurred by dishonest signaling to determine whether this pheromone could act as an honest signal of male reproductive potential.