Chemical Attraction of Gall Midge Pollinators (Cecidomyiidae: Cecidomyiinae) to Anthurium acutangulum (Araceae).

Flowering plants often use chemical signals to attract their pollinators, and compounds that elicit attraction are known for several groups of pollinators. For other pollinators such as gall midges, however, compounds responsible for their attraction to flowers are largely unknown. Here, we describe the pollination biology of Anthurium acutangulum, a Neotropical aroid species found to be attractive to gall midges.

Aggregation Pheromones of Weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae): Advances in the Identification and Potential Uses in Semiochemical-Based Pest Management Strategies.

With approximately 83,000 species described, Curculionidae is the largest family of beetles, comprising more than 80% of all weevil species worldwide. Many species of Curculionidae attack a wide range of native and orchards crops, as well as globally important stored products such as grains, flour, and seeds, being responsible for significant environmental and economic losses. This work provides an overview of the research in the identification of aggregation pheromones of Curculionidae, and their potential contributions to the development of semiochemical-based pest management strategies.

Tetranorsesquiterpenoids as Attractants of Yucca Moths to Yucca Flowers.

The obligate pollination mutualism between Yucca and yucca moths is a classical example of coevolution. Oviposition and active pollination by female yucca moths occur at night when Yucca flowers are open and strongly scented. Thus, floral volatiles have been suggested as key sensory signals attracting yucca moths to their host plants, but no bioactive compounds have yet been identified.

Pheromones and Barcoding Delimit Boundaries between Cryptic Species in the Primitive Moth Genus Eriocrania (Lepidoptera: Eriocraniidae).

Animal classification is primarily based on morphological characters, even though these may not be the first to diverge during speciation. In many cases, closely related taxa are actually difficult to distinguish based on morphological characters alone, especially when there is no substantial niche separation. As a consequence, the diversity of certain groups is likely to be underestimated.

The chemical and visual bases of the pollination of the Neotropical sexually deceptive orchid Telipogon peruvianus.

Deception of floral visitors in pollination systems is widely distributed among flowering plants. In deceptive systems, the flower (or part of it) or inflorescence mimics either a specific or an unspecific model to attract pollinators. A previous study showed that Telipogon peruvianus flowers developed sexual deception for pollination.