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First Contact Pheromone Identified for a Longhorned Beetle (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in the Subfamily Prioninae

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Abstract

Little is known of the reproductive behavior of longhorned beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in the subfamily Prioninae. Mallodon dasystomus (Say), the hardwood stump borer, is a widely distributed prionine that is native to the southern U.S. Here, we explored the chemically-mediated mating behavior of M. dasystomus, and tested the hypothesis that males recognize females by a contact pheromone. In mating bioassays, all males tested attempted to mate with females only after contacting females with their antennae. Moreover, all males attempted to mate with solvent-washed dead females treated with as little as 0.15 ± 0.03 female equivalents of conspecific cuticular extracts, confirming that compounds on the cuticle of females are essential for mate recognition. Cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of females contained 13 compounds that were not present in profiles of males. Among the female-specific compounds, two co-dominant methyl-branched alkanes, 2-methylhexacosane (2Me-C26) and 2-methyloctacosane (2Me-C28), accounted for 17% of the total hydrocarbons. Our strategy for identifying the contact pheromone was to synthesize and test the bioactivity of female specific compounds, starting with the most abundant. In bioassays, males displayed mating behavior in response to synthetic 2Me-C26 and 2Me-C28 when tested individually. Furthermore, when these compounds were tested in combination, they elicited the full progression of mating behaviors, suggesting that 2Me-C26 and 2Me-C28 make up the contact pheromone. These findings are further evidence of the critical role of contact pheromones in mating systems of longhorned beetles.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Corey Wilkins and Aaron Lancaster for assistance rearing the beetles and Jonathan Larson for assistance in conducting bioassays. We appreciate funding support from Purdue University Department of Entomology, the USDA Forest Service (agreement no. 08-JV-11330127-076), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Lower Mississippi Valley Joint Venture, Agreement no. 06-IA-11330127-189, managed by Bill Uihlein), and Southeast Region (Agreement no. 07-IA-11330127-171, managed by Janet Ertel). We are grateful to the following individuals and their institutions for permission to work on their lands and logistical support collecting beetles: Ralph Pearce, Delta National Forest; Martin Blaney, David Luker, and Andy VanHorn, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission; Rodney Wishard, Mike Staten, and Gene Holland, Anderson-Tully Company; David Linden, Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge and Becky Rosamond, Dahomey National Wildlife Refuge. This work was in partial fulfillment of an MS degree for A. E. S. from Purdue University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Annie E. Spikes, Matthew A. Paschen & Matthew D. Ginzel

  2. Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA

    Jocelyn G. Millar & Jardel A. Moreira

  3. Southern Hardwoods Laboratory, USDA-Forest Service, Stoneville, MS, 38776, USA

    Paul B. Hamel & Nathan M. Schiff

Authors
  1. Annie E. Spikes
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  2. Matthew A. Paschen
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  3. Jocelyn G. Millar
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  4. Jardel A. Moreira
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  5. Paul B. Hamel
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  6. Nathan M. Schiff
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  7. Matthew D. Ginzel
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Correspondence to Matthew D. Ginzel.

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Spikes, A.E., Paschen, M.A., Millar, J.G. et al. First Contact Pheromone Identified for a Longhorned Beetle (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in the Subfamily Prioninae. J Chem Ecol 36, 943–954 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-010-9837-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-010-9837-8

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