SignificanceMany insects release volatile terpenes for chemical communication. However, the biosynthetic origin and evolution of these infochemicals are mostly unknown. We show that the harlequin bug, Murgantia histrionica, a stink bug pest (Hemiptera) of crucifer crops, produces a terpene aggregation pheromone by an enzyme that is unrelated to microbial and plant terpene synthases. M. histrionica terpene synthase activity is highly sex- and tissue-specific and makes a sesquiterpene alcohol, so far unknown in animals, as pheromone precursor. The enzyme evolved from ancestral isoprenyl diphosphate synthases and provides new evidence for de novo biosynthesis of terpenes in hemipteran insects. Knowledge of pheromone biosynthesis in stink bugs may lead to the development of new controls of these pests.

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The harlequin bug, Murgantia histrionica (Hahn), is an agricultural pest in the continental United States, particularly in southern states. Reliable gene sequence data are especially useful to the development of species-specific, environmentally friendly molecular biopesticides and effective biolures for this insect. Here, mRNAs were sampled from whole insects at the 2nd and 4th nymphal instars, as well as sexed adults, and sequenced using Illumina RNA-Seq technology. A global assembly of these data identified 72,540 putative unique transcripts bearing high levels of similarity to transcripts identified in other taxa, with over 99% of conserved single-copy orthologs among insects being detected. Gene ontology and protein family analyses were conducted to explore the functional potential of the harlequin bug’s gene repertoire, and phylogenetic analyses were conducted on gene families germane to xenobiotic detoxification, including glutathione S-transferases, carboxylesterases and cytochrome P450s. Genic content in harlequin bug was compared with that of the closely related invasive pest, the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål). Quantitative analyses of harlequin bug gene expression levels, experimentally validated using quantitative real-time PCR, identified genes differentially expressed between life stages and/or sexes.

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The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake. Under the heading BInsects^in BMethods and Materials^the sentence BA colony of N. viridula originated with field collections near Tifton, Georgia, USA^is incorrect. The following sentence describes the correct origin of the N. viridula colony: A colony of N. viridula originated with field collections at Stoneville, Mississippi, in 1996, and has been reared at Beltsville since that time with no additional field collections to this rearing. The author apologizes for this oversight and for any confusion it may have caused. Publisher's Note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Cucurbit production in Virginia provides the commonwealth with melons, pumpkins, summer squashes, and cucumbers, all of which are dependent upon adequate pollination for fruit set and development. Growers liberally apply fungicides in Virginia, and often will tank-mix broad-spectrum insecticides that are known to have negative effects on both natural enemy populations and pollinators regardless of pest pressure. Here we examine the potential role of narrowspectrum insecticides and their interactions with the squash bug egg parasitoid, Gryon pennsylvanicum (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae). G. pennsylvanicum has been identified around the commonwealth and is capable of high levels of parasitization on eggs of the squash bug, Anasa tristis (Hemiptera: Coreidae) a pest of many cucurbit crops. Bioassays were conducted utilizing field collected squash bug egg masses with four narrow-spectrum insecticides and a broad-spectrum insecticide (used as a baseline). Squash bug egg masses were dipped in formulations of labelrate insecticides, and squash bug nymphs and parasitoid wasp adults were allowed to hatch. In 2015, there were no significant differences between treatments after a χ 2 goodness of fit test, in which the control replicate data were used as the "expected" values of background parasitization levels. A shift away from broad-spectrum insecticide use may reduce the risk of releasing secondary pest populations. Adapting effective narrowspectrum insecticide use may help to mitigate the negative impacts of insecticides on pollinators and the natural enemy complex in cucurbit crop systems.