Data from: Tales from the crypt: a parasitoid manipulates the behavior of its parasite host

There are many examples of apparent manipulation of host phenotype by parasites, yet few examples of hypermanipulation – where a phenotype-manipulating parasite is itself manipulated by a parasite. Moreover, few studies confirm manipulation is occurring by quantifying whether the host’s changed phenotype increases parasite fitness. Here we describe a novel case of hypermanipulation, in which the crypt gall wasp Bassettia pallida (a phenotypic manipulator of its tree host) is manipulated by the parasitoid crypt-keeper wasp Euderus set, and show that the host’s changed behaviour increases parasitoid fitness. B. pallida parasitizes sand live oaks and induces the formation of a ‘crypt’ within developing stems. When parasitized by E. set, B. pallida adults excavate an emergence hole in the crypt wall, plug the hole with their head, and die. We show experimentally that this phenomenon benefits E. set, as E. set that need to excavate an emergence hole themselves are about three times more likely to die trapped in the crypt. In addition, we discuss museum and field data to explore the distribution of the crypt-keeping phenomena.已有诸多研究报道寄生虫可操控宿主表型，但关于超操控（hypermanipulation）的案例却极为罕见——所谓超操控，即原本可操控宿主表型的寄生虫自身又被另一寄生虫所操控。此外，鲜有研究通过量化宿主表型改变是否提升了寄生虫的适合度，来证实操控现象确实存在。本研究报道了一例全新的超操控案例：原本可操控树木宿主表型的淡色巴塞特瘿蜂（Bassettia pallida），被寄生性的隐守寄生蜂（Euderus set）所操控；同时我们证实，宿主的行为改变可提升该寄生蜂的适合度。淡色巴塞特瘿蜂以沙生活栎为宿主，可在其发育中的茎干内诱导形成“隐瘿”结构。当淡色巴塞特瘿蜂被隐守寄生蜂寄生后，其成虫会在隐瘿壁上钻出羽化孔，并用头部封堵该孔洞，随后死亡。我们通过实验证实，该现象对隐守寄生蜂具有生存优势：需要自行开凿羽化孔的隐守寄生蜂，被困于隐瘿内死亡的概率约为无需自行钻孔个体的三倍。此外，我们结合馆藏标本数据与野外调查数据，探讨了这一隐守行为现象的分布范围。