Sex pheromones and sex attractants of species within the genera Idolus Desbrochers des Loges and Dalopius Eschscholtz (Coleoptera: Elateridae) in the western United States

Abstract

Most known click beetle (Coleoptera: Elateridae) sex pheromones have been identified from economically important European species. We hypothesized that pheromone components might be conserved between New and Old World species, and so tested blends of known pheromones in California and Washington states. Males of the endemic species Idolus californicus and Idolus columbianus (subfamily Elaterinae) were attracted to blends of neryl esters, many of which are known pheromones of related European species. Electroantennogram assays determined that antennae of male beetles responded strongly to two neryl esters, and in field bioassays, males of both species were specifically attracted to neryl hexanoate. Female I. californicus were found to produce both neryl hexanoate and neryl octanoate, and lures that contained neryl hexanoate alone or in blends attracted male beetles. Neryl octanoate was not attractive, and neither synergized nor antagonized attraction to neryl hexanoate. Males of Dalopius spp. also were captured in traps baited with lures containing neryl octanoate. Our results support the hypothesis that the neryl ester pheromone motif is conserved among taxonomically related European and North American elaterids in the tribe Elaterinae, which should aid in the identification of pheromones of pest species within the tribe.

Sex pheromone of Nearctic Agriotes mancus and its similarity to that of three Palearctic Agriotes invasive in North America

“…Prior to this study, the sex pheromone components of Neartic A. mancus were not known. Indeed, to date, sex pheromones have been identified for only nine click beetle species endemic to North America, including Cardiophorus tenebrosus and Cardiophorus edwardsi (Serrano et al, 2018), Melanotus communis (Williams et al, 2019), Limonius canus and Limonius californicus (Gries et al, 2021; van Herk, Lemke, Gries, et al, 2021), Selatosomus aeripennis destructor (Gries et al, 2022), Idolus californicus (Serrano et al, 2022), Agriotes ferrugineipennis (Singleton, Gries, et al, 2022) and Parallelostethus attenuatus (Millar et al, 2022). Here, we report the identification of sex pheromone components of Nearctic A. mancus and reveal their structural and biosynthetic relatedness to those of Palearctic Agriotes congeners.…”

Identification of the Major Sex Pheromone Component of the Click Beetle Agriotes ferrugineipennis

“…To date, sex pheromones are known for only eight elaterid species native to North America, including Melanotus communis (Williams et al 2019), Cardiophororus tenebrosus and C. edwardsi (Serrano et al 2018), Limonius canus and L. californicus (Gries et al 2021;van Herk et al 2021d), Selatosomus aeripennis destructor (Gries et al 2022), Idolus californicus (Serrano et al 2022), and Parallelostethus attenuatus (Millar et al 2022). Sex pheromones are not yet known for any North American-native Agriotes click beetles such as Agriotes ferrugineipennis.…”