Title: | Behavioral Evidence for Olfactory-Based Location of Honeybee Colonies by the Scarab Oplostomus haroldi |
Author(s): | Fombong AT; Mutunga JM; Teal PE; Torto B; |
Address: | "International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), P.O. Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya. USDA/ARS-CMAVE, 1600/1700 SW23rd Dr., Gainesville, FL, 32608, USA. International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), P.O. Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya. btorto@icipe.org" |
DOI: | 10.1007/s10886-016-0748-1 |
ISSN/ISBN: | 1573-1561 (Electronic) 0098-0331 (Linking) |
Abstract: | "The Afro-tropical scarab Oplostomus haroldi (Witte) is a pest of honeybees in East Africa with little information available on its chemical ecology. Recently, we identified a female-produced contact sex pheromone, (Z)-9-pentacosene, from the cuticular lipids that attracted males. Here, we investigated the kairomonal basis of host location in O. haroldi. We used coupled gas chromatography/electroantennographic detection (GC/EAD) and GC/mass spectrometry to identify antennally-active compounds from volatiles collected from honeybee colonies. Antennae of both sexes of the beetle consistently detected seven components, which were identified as 3-hydroxy-2-butanone, 2,3-butanediol, butyl acetate, isopentyl acetate, butyl butyrate, hexyl acetate, and methyl benzoate. In olfactometer bioassays, both sexes responded to the full seven-component synthetic blend over solvent controls, but chose honeybee colony odors over the blend. These findings suggest that the seven compounds are components of a kairomone from honeybee colonies used by O. haroldi" |
Keywords: | Acetates/metabolism Alkenes/metabolism Animals Bees/*parasitology/physiology Benzoates/metabolism Butylene Glycols/metabolism Butyrates/metabolism Coleoptera/*physiology Female Male Pentanols/metabolism Pheromones/metabolism Smell Taxis Response Cetoniid; |
Notes: | "MedlineFombong, Ayuka T Mutunga, Jacqueline M Teal, Peter E A Torto, Baldwyn eng 2016/08/19 J Chem Ecol. 2016 Oct; 42(10):1063-1069. doi: 10.1007/s10886-016-0748-1. Epub 2016 Aug 17" |