D3385: Compiled host-records reveal trends in host-use in the charismatic parasitoids, Tachinidae (Diptera)

Tachinidae is a charismatic family of flies which parasitize a wide variety of insects, as well as other arthropods including spiders and chilopods, and contribute to the regulation of lower trophic levels. Unlike their hymenopteran counterparts, the breadth of hosts these parasitoids use can be diverse, often including distantly related taxonomic groups. Due to the phylogenetic disparity between hosts, tachinid-flies have been considered dietary generalists; however, host taxa may converge on antipredator mechanisms, which require behavioral and morphological specialization on the part of the parasitoid. In order to detect drivers of ecological specialization, distance-based ordinations were used to determine which host-taxa, life-history traits, and clades were more exclusive to specific tachinid species. Host-parasite associations were compiled from publications and catalogs, unpublished data from correspondents, and personal records. In total, approximately 6,000 host-records are represented in these analyses, spanning 1,200 genera of hosts and 400 genera of tachinid-fly. Traits such as voltanism, setal density, and aposematism, were assigned to host taxa based on character descriptions, photographs, and preserved specimens and compared against the host’s community of parasitoids to determine if host attributes were associated with distinct tachinid lineages. In total, 15 host attributes were used across the full set of hosts.