The parasitoid emerald jewel wasp (Ampulex compressa) subdues the American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) with a sting to the 1st thoracic ganglion, followed by a sting to the roach’s brain, causing long-term pacification. The wasp then leads the cockroach to a hole where it lays an egg on the roach middle leg before barricading the entrance and departing. Although many aspects of the wasp’s initial attack have been investigated, few studies have detailed the egg-laying process and the subsequent fate of the larvae. Here I show that larval survival depends on precise egg positioning on the cockroach by the female wasp. Ablation of sensory hairs on the wasp’s abdomen resulted in mislaid eggs, which seldom survived. In addition, the cockroach femur may block the oviposition site. The wasp contended with this challenge with a newly discovered suite of stings, 3 directed into the 2nd thoracic ganglion which resulted in extension of the femur, thus exposing the oviposition site and removing a potential barrier to the wasp’s successful reproduction. When the femur was glued in place, the wasp stung the cockroach over 100 times, in an apparent fixed action pattern triggered by the obscured oviposition target. These findings highlight the importance of proper egg placement by the wasp, and reveal sensors and new neural manipulations that facilitate the process.
Brain Behav Evol

中文翻译：

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充分利用你的僵尸：腹部传感器和神经操作帮助宝石黄蜂找到蟑螂的弱点

寄生蜂（Ampulex compressa）抑制美洲蟑螂（Periplaneta americana ）) 第 1 胸神经节的刺痛，接着是蟑螂的大脑的刺痛，导致长期的安抚。然后黄蜂把蟑螂带到一个洞里，在那里它在蟑螂的中间腿上产卵，然后设置入口和离开。尽管已经研究了黄蜂最初攻击的许多方面，但很少有研究详细说明产卵过程和幼虫随后的命运。在这里，我表明幼虫的存活取决于雌性黄蜂在蟑螂上的精确卵定位。黄蜂腹部的感觉毛被烧蚀导致产卵错位，很少能存活下来。此外，蟑螂的股骨可能会阻塞产卵部位。黄蜂用一组新发现的螫刺来应对这一挑战， 3 指向第二胸神经节，导致股骨延长，从而暴露产卵部位并消除黄蜂成功繁殖的潜在障碍。当股骨粘到位后，黄蜂叮了蟑螂 100 多次，这是由模糊的产卵目标触发的明显固定动作模式。这些发现强调了黄蜂正确放置卵子的重要性，并揭示了促进这一过程的传感器和新的神经操作。
大脑行为进化