The three-dimensional structures of two odorant binding proteins (OBPs) and one chemosensory protein (CSP) from a polyphagous ectoparasitoid Scleroderma guani (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae) were resolved bioinformatically. The results show that both SguaOBP1 and OBP2 are classic OBPs, whereas SguaCSP1 belongs to non-classic CSPs which are considered as the "Plus-C" CSP in this report. The structural...

Cuticular hydrocarbons of an ectoparasitic wasp attacking two beetle hosts have been identified and examined for the influence of age, gender, mating status, and host on hydrocarbon composition. The 37 wasp hydrocarbons identified consisted of a series of n-alkanes (C16 to C33), 3-, 5-, 9-, 10-, 11-, and 12-methyl alkanes and a series of Z-7 and Z-9 monoenes (C23:1 to C27:1). One C25:2 diene wa...

To explore the mechanisms by which the wasp Scleroderma sichuanensis Xiao regulates the physiology and biochemistry of its host, effects of S. sichuanensis venom and parasitism on host the Tenebrio molitor L. pupae were examined. Significant differences in nutritional content were noted between parasitized and non-parasitized pupae and between venom- and phosphate buffered saline-injected pupae...