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Avian kleptoparasitism of the digger wasp Sphex pensylvanicus

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 April 2012

Justin Benttinen  and
Evan Preisser
Justin Benttinen
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, 9 East Alumni Avenue, Kingston, Rhode Island 02881, United States of America
Evan Preisser*
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, 9 East Alumni Avenue, Kingston, Rhode Island 02881, United States of America
*
1Corresponding author (e-mail: preisser@uri.edu).
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Abstract

Kleptoparasitism (one organism stealing prey from another) is especially common in birds. Avian kleptoparasites should be especially likely to target insects such as digger wasps (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae) that occur in large aggregations and repeatedly deliver large prey to the same nesting site. We document kleptoparasitism of digger wasps (Sphex pensylvanicus L.) by sparrows (Passer domesticus (L.)) and catbirds (Dumetella carolinensis (L.)). During summer 2008, we observed 697 wasp provisioning attempts (return of a prey-laden wasp to a marked nesting site) in a mown field. One-third (244/697) of attempts were intercepted by birds, primarily sparrows, which increased their hourly total number and hourly number of successful attacks per capita. Wasps maintained a consistent rate of successful provisioning attempts but may not have been able to do so indefinitely. Energetic costs related to kleptoparasitism may exert strong selection pressures on affected digger wasps.

Résumé

Le cleptoparasitisme (dans lequel un organisme vole la proie d’un autre) est très répandu chez les oiseaux. Les oiseaux cleptoparasites sont particulièrement susceptibles de cibler les insectes tels que les guêpes fouisseuses (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae) qui forment d’importants rassemblements et livrent à répétition de grandes proies aux mêmes sites de nidification. Nous étudions le cleptoparasitisme des guêpes fouisseuses (Sphex pensylvanicus L.) par les moineaux domestiques (Passer domesticus (L.)) et les moqueurs chats (Dumetella carolinensis (L.)). Nous avons observé, durant l’été 2008, 697 tentatives d’approvisionnement (retour d’une guêpe porteuse de proies à un site de nidification marqué) dans un champ fauché. Un tiers (244/697) des tentatives ont été interceptées par les oiseaux, surtout par des moineaux, qui ont augmenté leur nombre total d’attaques par individu et d’attaques réussies par heure. Les guêpes ont maintenu un nombre constant de tentatives d’approvisionnement réussies, mais n’auraient peut-être pas pu conserver le rythme indéfiniment. Les coûts énergétiques reliés au cleptoparasitisme peuvent exercer de fortes pressions de sélection sur les guêpes fouisseuses.

[Traduit par la Rédaction]

Type
Articles
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 141 , Issue 6 , December 2009 , pp. 604 - 608
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 2009

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