Effects of size and fluctuating asymmetry on field fitness of the parasitoid Trichogramma carverae (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae)

Abstract

1. The effects of body size and asymmetry in morphological traits on field fitness were studied in the parasitoid Trichogramma carverae. 2. Significant fluctuating asymmetry was detected in four bristle counts and two wing measurements made on forewings. There was no evidence for directional asymmetry in any of the traits. An estimate of field fitness was obtained in grapevines by collecting released wasps arriving at oviposition sites consisting of egg rafts of the tortricid Epiphyas postvittana. 3. Comparisons of ovipositing and emergence samples indicated that wasps at oviposition sites were relatively larger and more variable in their size distribution. A non-parametric analysis of the r..