DOI: 10.5061/dryad.k6djh9wm6
title: Coincidental intraguild predation among natural enemies of the South American tomato leafminer <em>Phthorimaea</em> <em>absoluta</em>

description: Studying how natural enemies interact within a tri-trophic system is
 fundamental to understanding the mechanisms that promote coexistence and
 community stability. Coincidental intraguild predation (IGPc)—where
 predators consume prey parasitized by parasitoids—can disrupt trophic
 structure and compromise parasitoid persistence. Yet, the extent to which
 predators discriminate between parasitized from unparasitized hosts
 remains unclear, particularly in generalist predators. In this study, we
 examine IGPc in a tritrophic system involving the omnivorous mirid
 predator Tupiocoris cucurbitaceus, the larval endoparasitoid
 Pseudapanteles dignus, and their shared herbivore host Phthorimaea
 absoluta. Mirid bugs are increasingly used in integrated pest management
 due to their efficiency and versatility as biological control agents, but
 their potential for intraguild predation raises concerns about their
 compatibility with parasitoids. Using no-choice and choice predation
 assays, we found that T. cucurbitaceus consumed significantly fewer
 parasitized larvae, particularly when parasitism was advanced, and
 required longer handling times for parasitized prey. Olfactometer assays
 revealed that females preferred volatiles from plants infested with
 unparasitized or recently parasitized larvae, but showed no attraction to
 plants with hosts parasitized for 72 hours. These findings indicate that
 predator foraging is shaped by both direct cues from prey and indirect
 cues mediated by herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs), and that
 discrimination improves as the parasitoid develops. By selectively
 avoiding older parasitized hosts, T. cucurbitaceus reduces antagonistic
 intraguild interactions, which may facilitate the stable coexistence of
 predators and parasitoids exploiting the same herbivore resource.
description: # Coincidental intraguild predation among natural enemies of the South
 American tomato leafminer *Phthorimaea absoluta* Dataset DOI:
 [10.5061/dryad.k6djh9wm6](10.5061/dryad.k6djh9wm6) ## Description of the
 data and file structure The study investigated intraguild predation (IGP)
 behavior of *Tupiocoris cucurbitaceus* females through several assays
 using *Phthorimaea absoluta *larvae at different parasitism conditions by
 the parasitoid *Pseudapanteles dignus*. In the **non-choice IGP assay**,
 females were offered one of three larval types: (1) unparasitized, (2)
 parasitized for &lt;24 hours, or (3) parasitized for 72 hours. The
 response variable was the number of larvae consumed. In the **choice IGP
 assay**, females were simultaneously offered all three larval types, and
 consumption was again recorded. The response variable was the number of
 each type of larva consumed. In the **time to first attack assay**, the
 response variable was the time (minutes) taken by a female to initiate an
 attack, with choices between unparasitized larvae and those parasitized
 for &lt;24 hours. In the **consumption time assay**, the time (minutes)
 required to consume each type of larva was recorded. Finally, in the
 **olfactometry assay**, female choice was assessed in three setups: (1)
 clean plant vs. plant with an unparasitized larva, (2) plant with an
 unparasitized larva vs. plant with a &lt;24 h parasitized larva, and (3)
 plant with an unparasitized larva vs. plant with a 72 h parasitized larva.
 The response variable was the female's choice (1) or lack thereof
 (0). ### Files and variables #### File: Consumption_time_data.csv #####
 Variables * Treatments: unparasitized larvae and larvae with &lt;24 h of
 parasitism * T_consume_min: response variable, time measured in minutes
 #### File: IGP_choice_data.csv ##### Variables * Treatment: unparasitized,
 parasitized for &lt;24 hours, and parasitized for 72 hours offered
 simultaneously * consumed: response variable, number of each type of larva
 consumed #### File: IGP_non-choice_data.csv ##### Variables *
 treatment: (1) unparasitized, (2) parasitized for &lt;24 hours, or (3)
 parasitized for 72 hours * consumed: response variable, number of larvae
 consumed #### File: Time_first_attack_data.csv ##### Variables *
 Treatments: unparasitized larvae and larvae with &lt;24 h of parasitism *
 time_first_attack: response variable, time in minutes that the predator
 took to attack the first larva #### File: Olfactometer_data.csv #####
 Variables * Assays: (1) clean plant vs. plant with an unparasitized larva,
 (2) plant with an unparasitized larva vs. plant with a &lt;24 h
 parasitized larva, and (3) plant with an unparasitized larva vs. plant
 with a 72 h parasitized larva * Treatment: different combinations *
 election: response variable 1(yes), 0(no)