Abundance and Identification of Hymenopteran Parasitoids in Euphydryas gilletti
Abstract
Introduced species are thought to be free of natural enemies when they are brought into a new area. Euphydryas gilletti was introduced to RMBL to the south of its native range in the northern Rockies. I used this butterfly to examine whether it has fewer parasitoids in its new environment. To check, this study focuses on a butterfly species (Euphydryas gillettii) introduced experimentally in the vicinity of the RMBL and the potential ecological interactions it has with the other insects in its novel habitat. This butterfly has been studied since it was introduced in 1977 but not much is known about its interactions with parasitoids in the area. I conducted a survey at RMBL of the presence of lepidopteran parasitoids and the amount of parasitism on the butterfly egg masses. I surveyed and located parasitoids by sweep-netting and bagged egg masses to check if parasitoids used the eggs as hosts. There were no significant differences in parasitoids found across subsites or when comparing collections between plant or the ground and no parasitoids emerged from Euphydryas gillettii egg masses. In conclusion, my observations suggest that although parasitoids are present, the introduced species E. gillettii does not interact with any parasitoids in this location, supporting the idea that introduced species may escape their natural enemies.
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