| Title: | Methyl benzoate and nerolidol attract the cyclocephaline beetle Cyclocephala paraguayensis to trumpet flowers |
| Author(s): | Favaris AP; Tuler AC; Silva WD; Pec M; Rodrigues SR; Maia ACD; Bento JMS; |
| Address: | "Department of Entomology and Acarology, University of Sao Paulo, Piracicaba, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Mato Grosso Do Sul State University, Cassilandia, Mato Grosso Do Sul, Brazil. Programa de Pos-Graduacao Em Biologia Animal, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. Grupo Biologia CES, Facultad de Ciencias Y Biotecnologia, Universidad CES, Medellin, Colombia. Department of Entomology and Acarology, University of Sao Paulo, Piracicaba, Sao Paulo, Brazil. jmsbento@usp.br" |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s00114-023-01831-2 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1432-1904 (Electronic) 0028-1042 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Cyclocephaline beetles are flower visitors attracted primarily by major floral volatiles. Addressing the identity of these volatile compounds is pivotal for understanding the evolution of plant-beetle interactions. We report the identification and field testing of the attractant volatiles from trumpet flowers, Brugmansia suaveolens (Willd.) Sweet (Solanaceae), for the beetle Cyclocephala paraguayensis Arrow (Melolonthidae: Dynastinae). Analysis of headspace floral volatiles revealed 19 compounds, from which eucalyptol (57%), methyl benzoate (16%), and beta-myrcene (6%) were present in the largest amounts, whereas E-nerolidol in much lesser amounts (1.8%). During a first-field assay, traps baited with Mebe alone or blended with the other two major compounds attracted more beetles than myrcene and eucalyptol alone, which did not differ from the negative controls. In a second assay, Mebe and nerolidol attracted more beetles as a blend than individually. Nerolidol was more attractive than Mebe, and all treatments attracted more beetles than negative controls. The number of attracted beetles in the Mebe-nerolidol blend was greater than the combined sum of beetles attracted to these compounds alone, suggesting a synergistic interaction. The attraction of C. paraguayensis by trumpet-flower volatiles supports the beetle's extended preference for sphingophilous plants, especially when cantharophilous (beetle-pollinated) flowers are lacking. This phenomenon, thus, might have contributed to the widespread occurrence of this beetle throughout the Brazilian biomes" |
| Keywords: | Animals *Coleoptera Eucalyptol Flowers *Solanaceae Pheromones Coleoptera Floral volatiles Kairomones Sphingophilous plants Traps; |
| Notes: | "MedlineFavaris, Arodi P Tuler, Amanda C Silva, Weliton D Pec, Marvin Rodrigues, Sergio R Maia, Artur C D Bento, Jose Mauricio S eng 2014/50871-0/Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo/ 465511/2014-7/Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico/ Germany 2023/01/27 Naturwissenschaften. 2023 Jan 26; 110(1):3. doi: 10.1007/s00114-023-01831-2" |
