Mating Disruption of a Flighted Spongy Moth, Lymantria Dispar Japonica (Motchulsky) in Japan.

Mating disruption of a flighted spongy moth, Lymantria dispar japonica (Motchulsky)(Lepidoptera: Lymantridae), with a synthetic version of its sex pheromone, (+)-disparlure ([7R,8S] -cis-7,8-epoxy-2- methyloctadecane), was tested in the forests in Japan. Pheromone trap catches and the percentage mating of tethered females were measured in the pheromone-treated and untreated control forests. The attraction of male moths to pheromone traps placed at a height of 1.

Perception of Heterospecific Sex Pheromone Causes Less Effective Mating Disruption in the Beet Semilooper, Autographa nigrisigna (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

Confuser® V is a pheromone-based mating disruptant designed to reduce damage caused by seven species of moth pests, including the beet semilooper, Autographa nigrisigna (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Eggs and larvae of A. nigrisigna are often found in fields treated with Confuser® V, suggesting that some components in the Confuser® V blend may have adverse effects on the efficacy of mating disruption of this species.

Sex Attractant Pheromone of the Japanese Slave-Making Ant, Polyergus samurai.

The objective of our project was to identify the sex attractant pheromone of queens of the slave-making ant Polyergus samurai, which was characterized as a blend of methyl 6-methylsalicylate and methyl 3-ethyl-4-methylpentanoate. Both compounds were identified in volatiles collected from squashed heads of queens, and in field trials, a blend of the two compounds was highly attractive to males. In contrast, males were not attracted to a blend of methyl 6-methylsalicylate with 3-ethyl-4-methylpentanol.

Plant odor and sex pheromone are integral elements of specific mate recognition in an insect herbivore.

Specific mate recognition relies on the chemical senses in most animals, and especially in nocturnal insects. Two signal types mediate premating olfactory communication in terrestrial habitats: sex pheromones, which blend into an atmosphere of plant odorants. We show that host plant volatiles affect the perception of sex pheromone in males of the African cotton leafworm Spodoptera littoralis and that pheromone and plant volatiles are not perceived as independent messages.

Tetramorium tsushimae Ants Use Methyl Branched Hydrocarbons of Aphids for Partner Recognition.

In mutualisms, partner discrimination is often the most important challenge for interacting organisms. The interaction between ants and aphids is a model system for studying mutualisms; ants are provided with honeydew by aphids and, in turn, the ants offer beneficial services to the aphids. To establish and maintain this system, ants must discriminate mutualistic aphid species correctly.

Substrate vibrations mediate behavioral responses via femoral chordotonal organs in a cerambycid beetle.

Background: Vibrational senses are vital for plant-dwelling animals because vibrations transmitted through plants allow them to detect approaching predators or conspecifics. Little is known, however, about how coleopteran insects detect vibrations.

Results: We investigated vibrational responses of the Japanese pine sawyer beetle, Monochamus alternatus, and its putative sense organs.

Mating Disruption of a Carpenter Moth, Cossus insularis (Lepidoptera: Cossidae) in Apple Orchards with Synthetic Sex Pheromone, and Registration of the Pheromone as an Agrochemical.

Mating disruption of the carpenter moth, Cossus insularis (Staudinger) (Lepidoptera: Cossidae), with a synthetic version of its sex pheromone, a mixture of (E)-3-tetradecenyl acetate and (Z)-3-tetradecenyl acetate, was tested for three successive years in apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) orchards. Pheromone trap catches, percentage mating of tethered females and females enclosed with males in a mating cage, and tree damage were measured in both the pheromone-treated and untreated control orchards.

Efficacy of Chemical Mimicry by Aphid Predators Depends on Aphid-Learning by Ants.

Chemical mimicry is an effective strategy when signal receivers recognize and discriminate models by relying on chemical cues. Some aphid enemies mimic the cuticular chemicals of aphids through various means thus avoiding detection and attack by aphid-tending ants. However, because ants have been reported to learn the chemical signatures of aphids in order to distinguish the aphids, the efficacy of chemical mimicry is predicted to depend on the experience of the ants that had tended aphids.

Ants Learn Aphid Species as Mutualistic Partners: Is the Learning Behavior Species-Specific?

In ant-aphid associations, many aphid species provide ants with honeydew and are tended by ants, whereas others are never tended and are frequently preyed upon by ants. In these relationships, ants must have the ability to discriminate among aphid species, with mutualistic aphids being accepted as partners rather than prey. Although ants reportedly use cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) of aphids to differentiate between mutualistic and non-mutualistic species, it is unclear whether the ability to recognize mutualistic aphid species as partners is innate or involves learning.

Identification of a Pheromone Component and a Critical Synergist for the Invasive Beetle Callidiellum rufipenne (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae).

The invasive Asian cerambycid beetle Callidiellum rufipenne (Motschulsky), informally known as the Japanese cedar longhorned beetle, was first detected in North America in North Carolina in 1997. The beetle has since been detected in neighboring states and is expected to further expand its range. However, delineating the current distribution of C.

Candidate Attractant Pheromones of Two Potentially Invasive Asian Cerambycid Species in the Genus Xylotrechus.

Research during the 1980s showed that male Xylotrechus pyrrhoderus Bates (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), a vineyard pest, produce (2S,3S)-2,3-octanediol and (S)-2-hydroxyoctan-3-one as possible pheromone components, but to our knowledge, field tests were not carried out. We confirmed that at least female X. pyrrhoderus were attracted by a 1:1 blend of these two compounds in field trials in Japan.

Do aphid carcasses on the backs of larvae of green lacewing work as chemical mimicry against aphid-tending ants?

Ants attack and exclude natural enemies of aphids in ant-aphid mutualisms. However, larvae of the green lacewing, Mallada desjardinsi, prey on the cowpea aphid, Aphis craccivora, without exclusion by aphid-tending ants. Lacewing larvae are protected from ants by carrying aphid carcasses on their backs.

Female sex pheromone of a carpenter moth, Cossus insularis (Lepidoptera: Cossidae).

This study describes the identification of a sex pheromone component of a cossid moth, Cossus insularis. Coupled gas chromatographic-electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD) analysis of solid-phase microextraction (SPME) collections of volatiles released by live female moths showed that two compounds elicited EAG responses from the antennae of male moths. These compounds were identified as (E)-3-tetradecenyl acetate (E3-14:Ac) and (Z)-3-tetradecenyl acetate (Z3-14:Ac) by mass spectral analysis and retention index comparisons with synthetic standards.