DOI: 10.5061/dryad.pzgmsbd16
title: Sugar-feeding by adult ichneumonoid and stephanoid wasps (Hymenoptera) in dry evergreen forest, Thailand

description: Many temperate parasitoid wasp species are known to consume sugars as
 adults. However, little is known about their adult nutritional ecology in
 the tropics. Here we present the results of sugar analyses of adult
 parasitoid wasps collected in dry evergreen forest in Thailand. Sugars
 were detected using cold anthrone tests, and the results validated for a
 subsample using high-performance anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed
 amperometric detection (HPAEC-PAD). Sugars were detected in 90% of
 stephanids (n=218), 81% of ichneumonids (n=563), and 60% of braconids
 (n=1,665). We examined whether the presence or absence of sugar and the
 amount detected were influenced by family (Braconidae, Ichneumonidae,
 Stephanidae), body size, sex, life history strategy (idiobiont,
 koinobiont), or weather (rainy vs drier months). Both the incidence of
 sugar-feeding and the amount detected were strongly positively correlated
 with body size, and season. Larger individuals were significantly more
 likely to be sugar positive as well as individuals collected in the dry
 season. However, family (Braconidae vs Ichneumonidae) was also a
 significant factor for incidence of sugar-feeding. Sugar-feeding
 prevalence was significantly associated with life history strategy in both
 families but in opposite directions: koinobiont ichneumonids were more
 likely to have fed on sugar, whereas koinobiont braconids were less
 likely. Sugar feeding by braconid wasps was significantly more likely
 during rainy months. When interactions between variables were taken into
 account, these relations also changed with weather and weather:size and
 weather:size:life history interactions being significant for ichneumonids,
 but for braconids the significant explanatory variables were size, life
 history and size:life history interaction.
description: # Sugar-feeding by adult ichneumonoid and stephanoid wasps (Hymenoptera)
 in dry evergreen forest, Thailand Dataset DOI:
 [10.5061/dryad.pzgmsbd16](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.pzgmsbd16) ##
 Description of the data and file structure ### Files and variables ####
 ### File: Supplementary_HPAEC-PAD_.csv **Description:**  High-performance
 anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection
 (HPAEC-PAD) results of 118 parasitoid wasp individuals (representative
 female specimens of 12 parasitoid species. ##### Variables * Family:
 Family of parasitoid wasps * Subfamily: Subfamily of parasitoid wasps *
 Genus: Genus of parasitoid wasps * Species: Species of parasitoid wasps *
 Life_history: Life history of parasitoid wasps * Date: Date the parasitoid
 wasp was collected * Sex: Sex of parasitoid wasps * Wing: Fore wing length
 of parasitoid wasps (mm) * Season: Season the parasitoid wasp was
 collected * Cold_Anthrone: The optical density of cold anthrone test
 (parasitoid wasp samples) measured at 625 nm using spectrophotometer *
 Cold_anthrone_99.9conf: Sugar feeding of parasitoid wasps (cold anthrone
 results) compared with control group at 99.9% confidence level * Glucose:
 Concentration of glucose (µg/ 0.1 ml of each parasitoid wasp extraction
 sample) * Fructose: Concentration of fructose (µg/ 0.1 ml of each
 parasitoid wasp extraction sample) * Sucrose: Concentration of Sucrose
 (µg/ 0.1 ml of each parasitoid wasp extraction sample) #### File:
 Supplementary_Cold_anthrone_.csv **Description:** Cold anthrone results of
 2446 parasitoid wasp individuals, viz. Braconidae (n = 1,665),
 Ichneumonidae (n = 563) and Stephanidae (n = 218). In total the data
 comprised 1,330 idiobionts and 1,116 koinobionts. ##### Variables *
 Family: Family of parasitoid wasps * Subfamily: Subfamily of parasitoid
 wasps * Genus: Genus of parasitoid wasps * Species: Species of parasitoid
 wasps * Life_history: Life history of parasitoid wasps * Date: Date the
 parasitoid wasp was collected * Sex: Sex of parasitoid wasps * Wing: Fore
 wing length of parasitoid wasps (mm) * Season: Season the parasitoid wasp
 was collected * Cold_Anthrone: The optical density of cold anthrone test
 (parasitoid wasp samples) measured at 625 nm using spectrophotometer *
 Cold_anthrone_99.9conf: Sugar feeding of parasitoid wasps (cold anthrone
 results) compared with control group at 99.9% confidence level ### ####
 File: Supplementary_Control_cold_anthrone_.csv
 **Description:** Forty-eight samples of the control group for cold
 anthrone test. An optical density greater than the upper 99.9% control
 confidence interval (0.273) was taken as the threshold for setermining
 whether a wasp had or had not fed on sugar. ##### Variables * No.: Number
 of control * Content: Control sample where 100 µl of distilled water were
 included instead of a wasp sample and running through cold anthrone test *
 Cold_Anthrone: The optical density of cold anthrone test (control samples)
 measured at 625 nm using spectrophotometer