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Old 12-02-2008, 06:42 PM
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paul m paul m is offline
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I have no idea but a couple of points.
Aphodius sp tend to predate the aphids directly leaving 'mummies' without these coccoons ... I think ....

We should, really, be clear about using the terms 'parasite' and 'parasitoid' .. and I admit that I sometimes use 'parasitic behaviour' rather than 'parasitoidal behaviour' myself. Sorry

True parasites do not (usually) kill their hosts. They live off of the host's ingested food, its blood, flesh but if their host dies then so do they - they're just in it for a percentage. Parasitoids are actually predators which live part of their lives within their host's body but almost invariably (around 99.99% of the time) will kill the host.
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Last edited by paul m; 12-02-2008 at 06:43 PM. Reason: punctuation
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