Searching for a common host: parasitoids of <i>Lema daturaphila</i> on <i>Datura stramonium</i> in Central Mexico

We found six parasitoid fly and wasp species that are new records for Mexico or the host. Throughout their distribution, the interaction varies widely among populations and years. In some localities, egg parasitoids dominate over larval parasitoids and vice versa, and they exert strong pressures on the survival of <i>L. daturaphila'</i>s populations. The abundance of <i>Emersonella lemae</i>, the egg parasitoid, is related to the clutch size of <i>L. daturaphila</i> and climatic conditions such as temperature, altitude, and precipitation. As an apparent defense strategy against parasitoid flies, larvae of <i>L. daturaphila</i> release their oral secretions, which contain alkaloids from <i>D. stramonium</i>. At a geographic scale, these findings change the scenario between the plant-herbivore interaction and open the field to explore the different selective pressures among populations.