Search

In recent years, several invasive woodborers (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) have been found in Japan. Aromia bungii is a worldwide important pest of fruits and ornamental species of the genus Prunus. It invaded Japan in the early 2010s and now causes heavy damage to stone fruit trees. Anoplophora glabripennis and Apriona swainsoni are destructive pests of street, ornamental and horticultural trees. The first step in intercepting these beetles is to detect their presence early in their infestation, as accurate identification is crucial for their management. Ejected frass is a major sign of infestation and likely holds information on the insect. We focused on chemicals in both larvae and frass, and conducted a GC–MS analysis of these three invasive beetles and the native Anoplophora malasiaca. In all four species, 4 or 5 species-specific hydrocarbons were detected in both larvae and frass. These results indicate that analysis of hydrocarbons in frass could allow definitive detection of invasive wood-boring pests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The invasive Asian longicorn beetle Anoplophora glabripennis and native Japanese white-spotted longicorn beetle A. malasiaca show an extensive overlap with host plants, niches, and emergence season. Hybridization between these two species is suspected. The surface of the female body is covered with contact sex pheromones that elicit male mating behavior within species. We evaluated the contact pheromonal activity of crude extract and fractions of female A. glabripennis and revealed a hydrocarbon fraction to show activity; however, it was relatively weak. There might be other, as yet unidentified active compounds in the extract. Only a small number of male A. glabripennis showed mating behavior when they were exposed to the crude extract of female A. malasiaca, whereas a considerable number of male A. malasiaca showed mating behavior when exposed to both female A. glabripennis and A. malasiaca extracts. Gomadalactones are essential contact pheromone components that elicit mating behavior in male A. malasiaca. We, therefore, attempted to detect gomadalactones in female A. glabripennis extract, but without success. We investigated the possible reasons for this phenomenon and the difference in male mate recognition systems between A. glabripennis and A. malasiaca. The Asian longicorn beetle Anoplophora glabripennis is a recently arrived invasive species to Japan. The Japanese native A. malasiaca shows an extensive overlap with A. glabripennis with host plants, niches, and emergence season. Hybridization between these two species is suspected in Japan. The surface of the female is covered with contact sex pheromones that elicit male mating behavior within species. We evaluated the contact pheromonal activity of crude extract and fractions of female A. glabripennis coated on a black glass model and revealed a hydrocarbon fraction and a blend of fractions to show activity but relatively weak, suggesting the presence of other unknown active compounds. Few male A. glabripennis showed mating behavior when they were exposed to a crude extract of female A. malasiaca. However, a considerable number of A. malasiaca males mounted and showed abdominal bending behavior when presented with glass models that were coated with each extract of female A. glabripennis and A. malasiaca. Gomadalactones are essential contact pheromone components that elicit mating behavior in male A. malasiaca; however, we could not detect them in female A. glabripennis extract. Here, we investigated the possible reasons for this phenomenon and the difference in male mate recognition systems between these two species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mealybug females release sex pheromones to attract conspecific males for mating. It is critical for mealybug males, which are fragile and short-lived, to respond to the pheromone of their species without time- and energy-consuming cross-attractions to other species. Thus, mealybug pheromone systems are considered to have evolved to be species-specific with unique structures in each species and offer an opportunity to study the diversity of pheromone chemistry that mediates intersexual courtship signals. More than 20 mealybug pheromones are reported to be monoterpenes in general, with only one exception, a hemiterpene alcohol esterified with a medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA), found in the Matsumoto mealybug, Crisicoccus matsumotoi. However, it is unknown whether this is truly exceptional, or if similar compounds are used in other related mealybugs. In this study, we isolated and characterized the pheromone of an allied species, the azalea mealybug C. azaleae. Using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and bioassays with synthetics, the pheromone was shown to be composed of isopropyl (E)-7-methyl-4-nonenoate, isopropyl (E)-7-methyl-4-octenoate, and ethyl (E)-7-methyl-4-nonenoate. Surprisingly, the structures of these compounds do not include hemiterpene nor monoterpene motifs but have methyl-branched MCFA parts that are similar to an acid moiety of the C. matsumotoi pheromone. This study implies irregular events for the divergence of pheromone structures in ancestors of the genus Crisicoccus and other mealybugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The elytra of females of the white-spotted longhorn beetle, Anoplophora malasiaca (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), are coated with a contact sex pheromone, which was previously shown to be composed of at least three chemical groups. Individually, the chemical groups had little pheromonal activity, but a blend of all three exhibited activity equal to that of the crude female extract. Two groups are female-specific aliphatic hydrocarbons and ketones, which were previously synthesized and confirmed to elicit mating behavior. The third group consists of three lactones, gomadalactones A, B, and C, whose chemical structures were previously identified. These have now been synthesized, and the contact sex pheromone activities of synthetic gomadalactones A, B, and C, and the diastereomer of gomadalactone C, were tested in bioassays in this study. When tested in combination with synthetic hydrocarbons and ketones at the same doses as found in female elytra extract, the individual gomadalactones and a blend showed potent pheromonal activity equivalent to that of the crude extract of the elytra of female beetles. This completes the identification of the essential components of the contact sex pheromone of A. malasiaca. Redundancy of components in the hydrocarbon and ketone groups required to elicit mating behavior was observed previously, and this was also true for the gomadalactones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oocyte development, age at first reproduction, ovipositing activity and longevity were compared among three groups of Anoplophora malasiaca (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) female adults that were grown on an artificial diet and provided with mandarin orange (MO), blueberry (BB) and willow (WI) branches after adult emergence. The female adults that were fed with MO began to lay eggs earlier, produced more eggs and lived longer than those that were fed with BB or WI. None of the female adults that were fed with BB laid eggs. The BB-fed female adults developed the lowest number of oocytes after one and three weeks of feeding. The female adults that were fed with WI and MO for one week developed similar numbers of oocytes. However, after three weeks the MO-fed female adults developed significantly more oocytes than WI-fed females. When female adults were first fed with MO for one week and then supplied with BB, subsequent ovarian development was strongly suppressed and the number of immature oocytes decreased. The results suggested that some immature oocytes degenerated. From these results it was concluded that MO was the most suitable adult host-plant, followed by WI and BB. It is possible that adults that emerge from BB trees may shift their host-plant during the adult stage in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a polyphagous pest native to the tropical and subtropical Americas, but it has recently invaded the Eastern Hemisphere and spread rapidly. This migratory moth, which can fly long distances, now poses a global threat as a transboundary pest. To establish an efficient management program against this pest, monitoring of its occurrence is essential. Lures impregnated with four synthetic pheromone components of S. frugiperda – (Z)‐9‐tetradecenyl acetate (Z9‐14:Ac), (Z)‐11‐hexadecenyl acetate, (Z)‐7‐dodecenyl acetate, and (Z)‐9‐dodecenyl acetate – are commercially available, and traps baited with them are used for monitoring. However, in Japan, these pheromone traps frequently capture many non‐target moths, particularly Mythimna loreyi (Duponchel) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). We therefore reexamined the sex pheromone of S. frugiperda in an attempt to improve the monitoring lures and discovered trace amounts of (Z,E)‐9,12‐tetradecadienyl acetate (Z9E12‐14:Ac) in female extracts at ca. 0.2% of the primary component (Z9‐14:Ac). We verified its activity in males by field trap bioassays as well as antennal electrophysiology and demonstrated that this fifth component enhances the attractiveness of synthetic pheromones composed of the other four components to S. frugiperda and reduces the bycatch of M. loreyi. As Z9E12‐14:Ac is found in pheromones of most Spodoptera species, it may have been a pheromone component in the common ancestor and played a key role in divergence of pheromone systems in the genus Spodoptera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to understand the visual orientation mechanisms of the male black chafer Holotrichia loochooana loochooana to females, we examined male behavioral response to colored objects (lures) when female sex pheromone was present. In the field, males landed more frequently on darker lures than on lighter ones of the same color. Among lures of different colors but with the same brightness, males preferred landing on black, blue, or red ones to green or grey ones. The reflectance intensities of preferred lures were weaker than those of green and grey in the range of 540-580 nm. This range is considered to affect choice by males. When females perch on the leaf edges of the food plant to adopt a calling posture, the dominant background color is that of the leaves (i.e., green). This means that the landing target forms a silhouette (dark spot) which is prominent against a background of green leaves, providing maximum visual acuity for mating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The ether extract of the females of white-spotted longicorn beetle Anoplophora malasiaca showed activity as contact sex pheromone to males. The extract was fractionated, and a pheromonal activity was revealed only when three fractions; n-hexane, n-hexane/EtOAc 9:1, and EtOAc were blended. The relative structures of gomadalactone A, B, and C, three active components isolated from the EtOAc fraction, were determined by spectroscopic studies to be (1S ∗,4R ∗,5S ∗)-5-hydroxy-4-[(E)-7-hydroxy-4-methylhept-3-enyl]-4,8-dimethyl-3-oxabicyclo[3.3.0]octan-7-en-2,6-dione, (1R ∗,4R ∗,5R ∗)-5-hydroxy-4-[(E)-7-hydroxy-4-methylhept-3-enyl]-4,8-dimethyl-3-oxabicyclo[3.3.0]octan-7-en-2,6-dione, and (1S ∗,4R ∗,5S ∗,8S ∗)-5-hydroxy-4-[(E)-7-hydroxy-4-methylhept-3-enyl]-4,8-dimethyl-3-oxabicyclo[3.3.0]octan-2,6-dione, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract Two active fractions were found during the isolation of contact sex pheromone of female elytra of the white-spotted longicorn beetle, Anoplophora malasiaca (Thomson) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), in addition to fraction of hydrocarbons that had previously been identified. One fraction was essential to evoke a series of precopulatory behaviors of males toward a glass dummy when coated together with the hydrocarbon blend. The other fraction enhanced this activity when added to the mixture. From the latter synergistic fraction, we isolated five novel compounds and identified them as 10-heptacosanone, (Z )-18-heptacosen-10-one, (18Z ,21Z )-heptacosa-18,21-dien-10-one, (18Z ,21Z ,24Z )-heptacosa-18,21,24-trien-10-one, and 12-heptacosanone by GC-MS and NMR analyses. A blend of four of these synthetic ketones, without 12-heptacosanone, in the ratio and concentration found in female elytra extract (250 : 400 : 1000 : 180 ng FE-1 ) showed greater synergistic effect than the natural fraction containing the ketones. This effect was canceled out by further addition of 12-heptacosanone (100 ng FE-1 ), which was still comparable to the effect of the natural ketone fraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The white-spotted longicorn beetle, Anoplophora malasiaca, is one of the most destructive pests of many fruits and street trees. Effective controls are needed because the effect of marketed insecticides is limited. Entomopathogenic fungi offer a solution, combination with the beetles' contact sex pheromone. The surface of the female body is covered with contact sex pheromone, which we extracted. Males held onto a glass model coated with female extract for 5 h, but males held onto one without extract for <0.3 h. Males that held onto coated model, attached to fabric impregnated with an entomopathogenic fungus, Beauveria brongniartii, picked up significant fungi. The fungi were then transferred to females during mating. Our results indicate that a combination of contact pheromone with a pathogen could improve entomopathogenic infection of both male and female beetles. The white-spotted longicorn beetle, Anoplophora malasiaca, is one of the most destructive pests of horticultural crops and street trees. Effective controls are needed because the effect of marketed insecticides is limited. Entomopathogenic fungi offer a solution, and improving the rate of infection would be a breakthrough in this beetle's control. The combination of pathogenic fungi and the beetle's contact sex pheromone was suggested. The surface of the female body is covered with contact sex pheromone, which elicit male mating behavior. To develop a method for the practical control of this beetle, we evaluated the arrestant activity of female extract containing contact pheromone coated on a black glass model. Males presented with a coated model held on for 5 h (mean) during an 8-h experiment. In contrast, males presented with a control model held on for <0.3 h. Males that held onto coated models attached to fabric impregnated with conidia of the fungus Beauveria brongniartii picked up much conidia, which they then passed on to females during mating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Rosalia batesi Harold (Cerambycidae) is a longhorned beetle endemic to Japan distributed on the mainland from Hokkaido (north) to Kyushu (south). The beautiful appearance of the adults is renowned not only in Japan but worldwide. The larvae feed in the trunks of broad-leaf trees. Females were attracted to males in laboratory bioassays, which suggested that males produce a sex pheromone. We collected volatiles from R. batesi females and males and found a single male-specific compound. It was identified as 3,5-dimethyl-6-(1-methylbutyl)-pyran-2-one, which is the same compound identified as the pheromone of its European congener R. alpina. This alkylated pyrone is a unique structure among known cerambycid pheromones. In field bioassays carried out with the racemic synthetic pheromone in Japan, both sexes of R. batesi were attracted in significant numbers in a ratio of almost 1:1, indicating that the compound is an aggregation-sex pheromone. The longhorned beetle Rosalia batesi Harold (Coleoptera; Cerambycidae) is endemic to Japan, where its range extends from Hokkaido to Kyushu. The colorful adults are well-known to entomologists and collectors worldwide. It is a hardwood-boring species with larvae that develop in dead broad-leaf trees. In laboratory bioassays, females were attracted to males, which suggested that males produce a sex pheromone. The congeneric species R. alpina is native to Europe, and another congener, R. funebris, is distributed in North America. The pheromone components produced by males of these species had been previously identified as two compounds from different biosynthetic pathways. In the present study, volatiles were collected from beetles of both sexes, and the analyses of the resulting extracts revealed a single male-specific compound, which was identified as 3,5-dimethyl-6-(1-methylbutyl)-pyran-2-one; this is the same compound as the pheromone of the European R. alpina. This alkylated pyrone structure is, so far, unique among known cerambycid pheromones. In field bioassays with traps baited with the racemic synthetic pheromone, significant numbers of both sexes of R. batesi were attracted in an approximately equal ratio, indicating that the compound is an aggregation-sex pheromone rather than a sex pheromone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orius minutus (L.) (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae) is a natural enemy of agricultural pests such as thrips, aphids, and various newly hatched insect juveniles. In this study, we conducted 1) behavioral assays for evidence of contact sex pheromone activity in trails of O. minutus, and 2) chemical analysis to identify the essential chemical components of the trails. Males showed arrestment to trails of mature virgin females but not to trails from either conspecific nymphs or immature females. Females also showed arrestment to trails from conspecific males, although the response was weaker than that exhibited by males. The activity of female trails lasted for at least 46 h after deposition. Males showed a response irrespective of mating experience. Following confirmation that a contact sex pheromone was present in the trails of female O. minutus, we used a bioassay-driven approach to isolate the active chemicals. After fractionation on silica gel, the n-hexane fraction was found to be biologically active to males. A major compound in the active fraction was ( Z)-9-nonacosene; this compound was found only in trail extracts of mature virgin females. Synthetic ( Z)-9-nonacosene arrested O. minutus males, indicating that it is the major active component of the contact sex pheromone in the trails of female O. minutus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field and laboratory observations were carried out to understand the significance of prolonged copulation and the male substance transferred from males to females in the white grub beetle Dasylepida ishigakiensis Niijima & Kinoshita. Adults emerged from the soil in the evening and formed mating pairs on sugarcane plants, where copulation lasted for 1–3 h. Mating pairs (30%) observed in the field were accompanied by one or two additional males. Some females mated with one such male after ending copulation with the first male, showing multiple mating. After mating, males dropped to the ground to burrow into the soil earlier than females. Females received a large amount of colloidal secretion from males during mating. The amount and rate of transfer of this secretion from males to females were investigated in this study. Transfer of the secretion from males to females was completed within 30 min, and females that had mated with two males in the laboratory stored a larger amount of male secretion in the bursa copulatrix than those that had mated once. The results of both field and laboratory observations might indicate a possibility that prolonged copulation serves as a post-insemination female guarding behaviour to prevent mating by other conspecific males. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The privet tree, Ligustrum obtusifolium (Oleaceae), defends its leaves against insects with a strong lysine-decreasing activity that make proteins non-nutritive. This is caused by oleuropein, an iridoid glycoside. We previously found that some privet-specialist caterpillars adapt by secreting glycine in the digestive juice as a neutralizer that prevents the loss of lysine. Here, we extended the survey into 42 lepidopteran and hymenopteran species. The average concentration of glycine in digestive juice for 11 privet-feeding species (40.396 mM) was higher than that for 32 non-privet-feeding species (2.198 mM). The glycine concentrations exceeded 10 mM in 7 out of 11 privet-feeding species. In Macrophya timida (Hymenoptera), it reached 164.8 mM. Three out of the four remaining privet-feeding species had other amino acids instead. Larvae of a privet-specialist butterfly, Artopoetes pryeri (Lycaenidae), had a high concentration (60.812 mM) of GABA. In two other specialists, β-alanine was found. GABA, β-alanine, and glycine as well as alanine, amines, and ammonium ion inhibited the lysine decrease, indicating that amino residues are responsible for the inhibition. However, the three amino acids found in the specialists were far more effective (20 mM showed 80% inhibition) than the rest (>140 mM was required for 80% inhibition). Our results show a clear and rare case of the apparent convergent evolution of herbivores' molecular adaptations of feeding on a plant with a chemical defense in a manner that minimizes the cost of adaptation. The novel role of GABA in plant-herbivore interactions shown here is probably the first reported non-neuronal role of animal-derived GABA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The white grub Dasylepida ishigakiensis has a 2-year life cycle and spends approximately 9 months as a nonfeeding larva, pupa and adult on a subtropical island. Evidence is presented indicating that this beetle has two diapauses that appear to synchronize this long life cycle with the seasons. Larvae exposed to 20, 22.5, 25 and 27.5 °C late in the third (last) stadium pupate rapidly except for some individuals kept at the highest temperature. The latter pupate upon transfer to 22.5 °C, indicating that larval diapause is maintained at high temperature but terminates upon transfer to a lower temperature. Pupal development is directly temperature-dependent in the range 20–30 °C. Adults develop reproductive organs (i.e. the ovary in females and the seminal vesicles and accessory glands in males) rapidly at 15 and 20 °C, whereas those kept at 25 °C take a long time to do so. Ovarian development is completely suppressed at 30 °C but initiated upon transfer to 20 °C. In the laboratory, males with well-developed reproductive organs mate even with sexually immature females , whereas females with undeveloped ovaries show no sexual behaviour. Although the two diapauses of this species are thermally regulated (i.e. a characteristic commonly expressed by insects in summer diapause), adults of this beetle emerge from pupae late in the autumn and remain in the soil for 2 months. Adult diapause effectively serves to synchronize the time of sexual maturation with the coldest month of the year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flower bug Orius sauteri is a generalist predator that occurs throughout Japan, and is a promising indigenous natural enemy for micro-pests such as thrips, aphids, and spider mites. We aimed to manipulate the attraction, dispersal, and settlement behavior of Orius bugs using natural chemical substances emitted by the bugs themselves. To identify potential candidates, we screened components in the whole-body extract of O. sauteri based on antennal response and then determined their chemical structure. A gas chromatograph electroantennographic detector (GC/EAD) indicated that the antennae of males responded to two components in the extract of females. GC/mass spectrometry (MS) showed that these two components were octenal and octadienal. Derivatization or GC-FT-IR analysis identified these components as (E)-2-octenal and (E)-2,7-octadienal. To assess the effect of these components on O. sauteri behavior, we conducted two assays. A field bioassay demonstrated that a blend of the two components functioned as a sex pheromone, and a dispersal assay showed that (E)-2-octenal generated a dose-dependent dispersal response. Our study will provide baseline information for enhancing the retention of O. sauteri on important commercial crops to prey on pest species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of pheromones to disrupt mating behaviours is perhaps the most promising method for controlling the sugarcane pest Dasylepida ishigakiensis Niijima et Kinoshita, also known as the white grub beetle. Herein, based on laboratory observations of mating, oviposition and hatching behaviours in the white grub beetle, we suggest guidelines for the timing and length of sex-pheromone release in the field. In the present study, we collected virgin female adults early in the mating season (4 February) in sugarcane fields in Okinawa, Japan and mated them in the laboratory after different time intervals with males collected at the same time. We investigated the effects of delayed mating on mating success, timing of oviposition, female longevity after mating and progeny hatchability. Mating success – defined as the proportion of mated females that produced progeny – and hatchability were not significantly affected by mating delays of less than 31 days, although further delays dramatically decreased these parameters. Female life span and the time between mating and oviposition were unaffected by mating delay. Similar results were obtained for laboratory-reared adults mated on day 45, 60 or 80 after adult emergence. Based on these findings, we propose that releasing synthetic sex pheromones between mid-January (i.e. shortly before the start of the mating season) and late March would be optimal for disrupting the mating behaviours of this beetle in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The subtropical scarab beetle, Dasylepida ishigakiensis, has a two-year life cycle. This study showed the time of adult emergence from the soil relative to the time of dusk and the presence of the female sex pheromone. Beetles collected on Miyako Island were transported to Tsukuba where they were immediately placed under natural day lengths in February. They exhibited two emergence peaks that corresponded to the times of dusk in Tsukuba and on the island, respectively. Males emerged precociously if a lure containing synthetic female sex pheromone was placed in their container, whereas the females' behavior was unaffected. Previous observations that mated females dig deeper in the soil than virgin females, males or mated males were confirmed. To explore the underlying mechanism controlling the behavioral change associated with mating, liquid material derived from the male accessory glands, seminal vesicles and female bursa copulatrix was injected into beetles, but without any significant influence on burrowing behavior. No significant influence was also observed in beetles injected with anisomycin, an inhibitor of protein synthesis related to memory in other animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adults of the white grub beetle Dasylepida ishigakiensis Niijima et Kinoshita (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) emerge from the soil around dusk for mating on subtropical islands. The present study examines the factors controlling the emergence of males in the laboratory. There are two steps involved. Standby behaviour (i.e. insect head appears at the soil surface) can be observed for several hours before the beetles actually emerge for mating. The standby behaviour is facilitated by warm conditions, although the proportion of standby individuals is influenced not only by the temperature on that day, but also by that on the previous day. Experiments in which beetles are exposed to photoperiod and thermoperiod combinations, in and out of phase, show that temperature is more important in inducing standby and emerging behaviour than light alone. For the second step, factors such as temperature, light and the presence of the female sex pheromone determine whether males will leave the standby position and emerge onto the ground. The female sex pheromone stimulates standby beetles to exhibit emerging and wing vibration behaviours, although the effect depends on when it is presented to beetles. Beetles burrow back into the soil; this behaviour is influenced by illumination and time of the day but not by temperature. The results suggest that D. ishigakiensis possesses a sophisticated mechanism controlling male emergence from the soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigates the emergence of adult white grub beetles Dasylepida ishigakiensis Niijima et Kinoshita (Coleoptera: Scrabaeidae) from soil as well as their burrowing behaviours. ‘Standby behaviour’ (i.e. adults come to the soil surface where they expose their heads) is shown in the field and, along with emergence behaviour, is entrained by LD photocycles. These 24-h rhythms persist after transfer to continuous light conditions for 2 days. By contrast, beetles transferred from LD photocycles to continuous dark conditions fail to show standby behaviour; thus, it appears to be manifested only in the presence of illumination. Under dark conditions, beetles emerge completely from the soil directly at the time when standby behaviour is otherwise expected to occur. Emerged adults then burrow back into the soil before dawn. Virgin and mated males, as well as virgin females, which are expected to emerge from the soil for mating on later evenings, burrow to a relatively shallow depth (<2 cm), whereas mated females burrow deeper (2–10 cm). Soil properties such as moisture, grain size, topography and temperature influence the burrowing behaviour and the depths that the beetles reach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on sex pheromone and related compounds in the Ishigaki and Okinawa strains of the tussock moth Orgyia postica (Walker). Discovery of two distinct electroantennographycally active components, A and B, and a weakly active component C in a solvent extract from virgin females of the Ishigaki strain of the tussock moth; Finding of components A, B, and C in the extract of the females at 4.0, 0.5, and 4.0 ng/female respectively; Confirmation that the attractant pheromone of O. postica of the Ishigaki strain is also (11S,12S)-1; Discussion of the attractiveness of the components to the males on both Japanese islands in the context of the activity and possible evolution of pheromonal polymorphism in the species.

Olfactory and visual cues were shown to mediate short-distance orientation in Anoplophora malasiaca (Thomson) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). In a laboratory test, more than 80% (n = 42) of males walked straight upward when presented with an untreated surface with a 75° slope. When a freshly killed female was fixed at a short distance (10 cm ahead and 5 cm to left/right) from the starting point, 50% of males (n = 30) were oriented toward the female before direct contact. Similar behavioural responses were observed when female extract was directly applied to the slope or to a glass rod model fixed on the slope. When black, white, and transparent coloured rods with the extract were presented, the orientation response was significantly greater for black than to white and transparent rods, to which only a negligible response was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]