Flight and Walking Performance of Dark Black Chafer Beetle Holotrichia parallela (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in the Presence of Known Hosts and Attractive Nonhost Plants

Abstract

Holotrichia parallela damages seriously on peanut (Arachis hypogaea) pods. Elucidation of its flight and walking performance in the presence of different plants may provide an insight in its host selection process and an explanation to its strong olfactory preference to an attractive nonhost, castor bean (Ricinus communis). We determined the relationships among flight performance, mate choice, and body weight of H. parallela beetles, and then investigated their flight and walking patterns in the presence of known hosts and attractive nonhost plants using a flight mill and a locomotion compensator, respectively. Body weights were not related to mating success, regardless of sex. The flight proportion of selected females drastically decreased compared with nonselected females, nonselected males, and selected males. Within mated males, heavier individuals exhibited poorer flight performance than lighter ones. In flight bioassay, peanut showed an arrestment effect on virgin females. For walking activity factors (distance, time, and speed), the host plants velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti) and Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila) elicited the strongest responses in females and males, respectively. Interestingly, the most preferred adult host, Siberian elm, and the nonhost, castor bean, elicited the highest values of two orientation factors (orientation and upwind length) in females. The chemical similarity hypothesis, which states that feeding or oviposition of insects mistakenly on nonhost can be traced to their chemical similarity to actual hosts, could explain the attraction of H. parallela to castor bean.

Three Host Plant Volatiles, Hexanal, Lauric Acid, and Tetradecane, are Detected by an Antenna-Biased Expressed Odorant Receptor 27 in the Dark Black Chafer Holotrichia parallela

“…The dark black chafer Holotrichia parallela Motschulsky is a major soil pest that affects many plants . The adults of H.…”

“…There are many methods used to defend against the damage caused by larvae, such as seed coating and soil drenching with chlorpyrifos and other chemical insecticides. However, these produce problems of environmental pollution, and pest resistance arises . Therefore, it is crucial to study the function of ORs and find effective and environmentally friendly strategies to control H.…”

Bat target tracking strategies for prey interception

“…We assumed the bat’s velocity was 4.2 m/s, representing its average velocity, as reported in [ 14 ]. The target was modeled as a coleopteran, which has been described as the preferred food source of this bat species [ 15 ], flying at an average of 1 m/s, as described in previous reports [ 16 , 17 ]. The flight path for both bat and prey is computed in 1 ms increments.…”

Electrophysiological and Behavioral Responses of Holotrichia parallela to Volatiles from Peanut

“…The optimum ratio of β -caryophyllene to hexanal was 2:1, which is similar to their natural ratio. As peanut plants show an arrestment effect on them [ 32 ], female beetles of H. parallela may land for oviposition in the vicinity of peanut roots after perceiving these two volatile compounds emitted from this suitable ovipositional host plant. These findings may offer valuable information for developing new attractants for H. parallela control.…”