Parasitism and Generation Cycles in a Salt-Marsh Planthopper

In warm climates many insects exhibit discrete generations, in the absence of obvious factors that could synchronize their age structure. It has been hypothesized that parasitoid wasps might be responsible for these oscillations in the host age structure, known as generation cycles. 2. We examine the role of the parasitoid Anagrus delicatus in the dynamics of the salt-marsh planthopper Prokelisia marginata. In particular, we evaluate the hypothesis that Anagrus contributes to the formation of generation cycles in the hopper, in the subtropical climate of Florida. 3. Two kinds of evidence are presented