Diamondback moth females oviposit more on plants infested by non‐parasitised than by parasitised conspecifics

Abstract 1. When offered a choice, female diamondback moths ( Plutella xylostella ) oviposited more eggs on plants with non‐parasitised conspecific larvae than on plants with parasitised larvae. 2. The leaf area consumed by parasitised larvae was significantly lower than that by non‐parasitised larvae. However, this quantitative difference in larval damage did not explain the female’s ability to discriminate between plants with parasitised and non‐parasitised larvae, as females showed an equal oviposition preference for plants infested by higher or lower densities of non‐parasitised larvae. 3. Pupal weight and duration of the larval stage of P. xylostella were independent of whether larvae were reared on plants that were previously infested by either non‐parasitised or parasitised larvae. 4. The larval parasitoid Cotesia vestalis did not distinguish between plants infested by non‐parasitised larvae and plants infested by larvae that had already been parasitised by conspecific wasps. 5. Based on these data, it can be concluded that the moth oviposition preference for plants infested by non‐parasitised conspecifics relative to plants infested by parasitised conspecifics was not explained by plant quality or by the attractiveness of plants towards wasps. It is hypothesised that one of the reasons for this preference is avoidance of plants where a relatively high risk of parasitism is expected due to the emergence of parasitoids from the parasitised host larvae.