| Title: | Attraction of Male Nymphs to Adult Male Volatiles in the Bronze Bug Thaumastocoris peregrinus Carpintero & Dellape (Heteroptera: Thaumastocoridae) |
| Author(s): | Calvo MV; Groba HF; Martinez G; Sellanes C; Rossini C; Gonzalez A; |
| Address: | "Lab de Ecologia Quimica, Facultad de Quimica, Univ de la Republica, Av. General Flores 2124, Montevideo, 11800, CP, Uruguay. Estacion Experimental INIA Tacuarembo, Instituto Nacional de Investigacion Agropecuaria, Ruta 5 Km. 386, Tacuarembo, 45000, CP, Uruguay. Lab de Ecologia Quimica, Facultad de Quimica, Univ de la Republica, Av. General Flores 2124, Montevideo, 11800, CP, Uruguay. agonzal@fq.edu.uy" |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s13744-017-0576-1 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1678-8052 (Electronic) 1519-566X (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "The bronze bug, Thaumastocoris peregrinus Carpintero & Dellape (Heteroptera: Thaumastocoridae), is an exotic emerging pest in Eucalyptus commercial forests in South America, Africa and southern Europe. Information on the chemical communication system and reproductive ecology of this insect is scant, and it may be relevant for designing management strategies for eucalypt plantations. Adults and nymphs usually aggregate in the field, possibly by means of chemical signals. Males emit large amounts of 3-methyl-2-butenyl butyrate, which attracts conspecific adult males but not females. The ecological role of this putative male aggregation pheromone remains unknown. Here, we report olfactometer bioassays showing that late-instar male nymphs are also attracted to synthetic 3-methyl-2-butenyl butyrate and to adult male volatile extracts, which contain this compound as the major component. As previously shown for adult females, nymphs that moulted into females were not attracted to either volatile stimulus. The intra-gender attraction of nymphs and adults may be related to the exploitation of food resources, or as a reproductive strategy for newly emerged males. Further studies on the reproductive behaviour and mating system of T. peregrinus will contribute to understanding the ecological significance of male-male, adult-nymph attraction, as well as the practical applications that may result from these findings" |
| Keywords: | "Animals *Behavior, Animal Eucalyptus Female Heteroptera/*physiology Male Nymph/*physiology Pheromones/*physiology Reproduction South America 3-methylbut-2-en-1-yl butanoate Aggregation pheromones Eucalyptus pests nymph attraction olfactometer;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineCalvo, M V Groba, H F Martinez, G Sellanes, C Rossini, C Gonzalez, A eng FSA-2009-3133 and FSA-2013-13033/National Agency for Science and Innovation of Uruguay (ANII)/ Netherlands 2017/12/25 Neotrop Entomol. 2018 Dec; 47(6):835-841. doi: 10.1007/s13744-017-0576-1. Epub 2017 Dec 23" |
