Contact Sex Pheromones Identified for Two Species of Longhorned Beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)Tetropium fuscumandT. cinnamopterumin the Subfamily Spondylidinae

Abstract

Male Tetropium fuscum (F.) and T. cinnamopterum Kirby mated with live and dead (freeze-killed) conspecific females upon antennal contact, but did not respond to dead females after cuticular waxes were removed by hexane rinsing. Significantly fewer males of each species attempted to copulate with live or dead heterospecific females than with conspecifics, indicating that mate recognition was mediated by species-specific contact sex pheromones in the female's cuticular hydrocarbons. GC/MS analysis of T. fuscum elytra identified n-alkanes and mono-methyl branched alkanes of which 11-methylheptacosane and 3- and 5-methyltricosanes were dominant in females. Full male responses, including copulatory behavior, were restored with application of enantiomerically pure synthetic (S)-11-methyl-heptacosane at 40 μg/female (one female equivalent) but not with racemic or (R)-11-methyl-heptacosane. The cuticular hydrocarbons on T. cinnamopterum elytra included 11-methyl-heptacosane as well as n-alkanes, methyl-branched alkanes, mono-alkenes, and (Z, Z)-6, 9-alkadienes. (Z)-9-pentacosene, (Z)-9-heptacosene, and 11-methyl-heptacosane were female dominant, but only (Z)-9-pentacosene elicited precopulatory behaviors in conspecific males at levels similar to those behaviors elicited by unrinsed females, but elicited copulation in fewer than half of males. At female equivalent dosages (10 μg), neither (Z)-9-heptacosene nor (S)-11-methyl- heptacosane elicited responses in males that were significantly different from those responses to a rinsed female but when applied together, the proportion of males responding was significantly increased. 11-methyl-heptacosene is thus a contact pheromone component common to both species, which may explain the heterospecific mating attempts by some males.

Museomics reveals extensive cryptic diversity of Australian prionine longhorn beetles with implications for their classification and conservation

“…Although we have no direct evidence that sex pheromones are unique for each Australian species, several studies illustrated the importance of sex pheromones in the life cycle of other Cerambycidae (e.g. Fukaya & Honda, 1992;Wang, 1998;Fonseca & Zarbin, 2008;Silk et al, 2011). With nonsynchronized, multi-year larval development and short-lived adults, mate location and recognition are likely to be particularly important, and pheromones are probably playing a critical role in species discrimination and possibly speciation.…”

SPME‐GC/MS Analysis of Volatile Compounds Contained in the Insect Larvae of Tenebrio molitor and Leptinotarsa decemlineata before and after Using Insecticides

“…They can be transmitters of information and signals . They can also act as pheromones . Knowing the composition of insects at various stages of development, by different methods, can allow more effective protection against harmful insects.…”

2.4. Cerambycidae Latreille, 1802

“…Final mate recognition depends on antennal contact even in Prionus californicus, which has a long range sex pheromone (Barbour et al 2007). The con tact or tracing pheromones are cuticular organic compounds (hydrocarbons and derivatives; e.g., Yasui et al 2007;Ginzel 2010;Spikes et al 2010;Silk et al 2011), usually in specific blends. In males of species depending primarily on antennal contact, particularly those searching tree stems, the anten nae are sometimes very long to enable screening of larger surface areas (up to approximately 5 times the body length in males of some Acanthocinini of Lamiinae), but without distinct surface enlarge ments or remarkable olfactory sensory areas (Hanks et al 1996).…”