Larval density and developmental instability in the acoustically orienting parasitoid Homotrixa alleni

The relationship between developmental stress caused by intraspecific larval density and fluctuating asymmetry (FA) was examined in the tachinid parasitoid Homotrixa alleni. Individuals reared in larger clutches were significantly smaller in body size when they emerged as adults. As predicted, smaller individuals were shown to have significantly higher levels of FA in their tibiae. This negative relationship was consistent across each pair of tibia and the magnitude of FA was also significantly correlated between tibiae. The exact nature of the observed relationship between larval density and FA in H. alleni remains speculative.