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A pecky rice-causing stink bug Leptocorisa chinensis escapes from volatiles emitted by excited conspecifics

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Abstract

The stink bug Leptocorisa chinensis (Hemiptera: Alydidae), which causes pecky rice grains, emits pungent volatiles when disturbed. To study ecological functions of the volatiles, we investigated the responses of adult L. chinensis in a small observation arena. When an undisturbed individual of the same gender was introduced into the arena, the initially occupying L. chinensis did not show any behavioural responses. However, when a disturbed conspecific of the same gender was introduced, the initial occupant was excited immediately and escaped from the arena through the hole, suggesting that the pungent volatiles from a disturbed conspecific caused excitement/escape behaviour. Chemical analyses using a gas chromatograph–mass spectrometer showed that disturbed adults of both sexes emitted octanal, (E)-2-octenal, octanol, hexyl acetate, (Z)-3-octenyl acetate, octyl acetate and (E)-2-octenyl acetate. (E)-2-Octenal was the major compound. When exposed to (E)-2-octenal and to (E)-2-octenyl acetate, undisturbed females were excited and escaped from the observation arena with a similar proportional response as to disturbed females. Males and females escaped from (E)-2-octenal at ca. 2–10 ppbV in a mesh cage. The possible use of the volatile compounds eliciting excitement/escape behaviour in L. chinensis for control of this species in paddy fields is discussed.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Yoshito Suzuki, Toshikazu Adachi, Hiroaki Fujimoto, Atsuo Akayama, Yoshiki Takashima and two anonymous reviewers for their useful comments. This study was supported by the Research Project for Utilizing Advanced Technologies in Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, Japan).

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Author notes

  1. Shinji Isayama

    Present address: Crop Protection Division Domestic, Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd., 27-1, Shinkawa 2-chome, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-8260, Japan

  2. Ken-ichi Yamashita

    Present address: Bayer CropScience, 2-4-9 Umeda, Kitaku, Osaka, 530-0001, Japan

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hyogo Prefectural Technology Center for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Agricultural Technology Institute, Kasai, 679-0198, Japan

    Ken-ichi Yamashita

  2. Kasai Exp. Farm, Health and Crop Sciences Research Laboratory, Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd., 636-2, Shionoyama, Kishiro, Kasai, Hyogo, 675-2333, Japan

    Shinji Isayama

  3. Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, Otsu, 520-2113, Japan

    Rika Ozawa, Masayoshi Uefune & Junji Takabayashi

  4. National Agricultural Research Center for Western Region, Fukuyama, 721-8514, Japan

    Kazuki Miura

Authors
  1. Ken-ichi Yamashita
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  2. Shinji Isayama
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  3. Rika Ozawa
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  4. Masayoshi Uefune
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  5. Junji Takabayashi
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  6. Kazuki Miura
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Correspondence to Ken-ichi Yamashita.

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Yamashita, Ki., Isayama, S., Ozawa, R. et al. A pecky rice-causing stink bug Leptocorisa chinensis escapes from volatiles emitted by excited conspecifics. J Ethol 34, 1–7 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10164-015-0437-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10164-015-0437-5

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