Electroantennographic Responses of Aromia bungii (Faldermann, 1835) (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) to a Range of Volatile Compounds.

Giacinto S Germinara,Antonella Di Palma,Raffaele Griffo,Marco Pistillo,Antonio P Garonna

doi:10.3390/insects10090274

Giacinto S Germinara, Antonella Di Palma + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/insects10090274

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Abstract

Background: The red-necked longhorn beetle, Aromia bungii, is one of the most damaging pests of stone fruit trees. Native to the south-eastern Palearctic and Oriental regions, it invaded and is established to some extent in the Campania Region (Southern Italy). In several cerambycid species, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been shown to play a role in mate and host plant location. Methods: The electroantennographic (EAG) technique was employed to explore the antennal chemoreceptivity of male and female A. bungii antennae to 90 VOCs. Results: Increasing EAG amplitudes from the basal to the distal antennal segments were recorded in response to six selected plant volatiles. From the distal flagellomeres, the largest EAG responses (>0.8 mV) were elicited by 2-hexanol, octanal, sulcatone, guaiacol, sulcatol, 2,4-dimethyl-3-hexanol, 2,4-dimethyl-2-hexanone, heptanal, nonanal, (Z)-3-hexenol, and 1-heptanol in both sexes, and by linalool, (E)-2-heptenal, 1-octen-3-ol, (E)-2-octenal, 3-octanol, (E)-2-octen-1-ol, α-phellandrene, and α-terpinene in males. The olfactory system of both sexes proved to be sensitive to changes in stimulus concentration and compound structure. Conclusions: this study demonstrates the capability of A. bungii males and females to detect and discriminate among a wide range of VOCs and provides a basis for further olfactometer and field trapping experiments aimed at identifying behaviorally-active compounds useful for the implementation of semiochemical-based control strategies for this pest.

Highlights

The red-necked longhorn beetle, Aromia bungii (Faldermann, 1835) (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, subfamily Cerambycinae, tribe Callichromatini), is an oligophagous wood-borer beetle of Prunus spp., including many cultivated stone fruit trees such as peach, apricot, plum, and cherry [1]
Conclusions: this study demonstrates the capability of A. bungii males and females to detect and discriminate among a wide range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and provides a basis for further olfactometer and field trapping experiments aimed at identifying behaviorally-active compounds useful for the implementation of semiochemical-based control strategies for this pest
The antennal chemoreceptivity toward different volatile compounds has been investigated in a number of cerambycid species [46,47,48,49]; to our knowledge, this is the first study exploring the antennal sensitivity of a member of the Callichromatini tribe to a wide variety of VOCs

Summary

Introduction

The red-necked longhorn beetle, Aromia bungii (Faldermann, 1835) (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, subfamily Cerambycinae, tribe Callichromatini), is an oligophagous wood-borer beetle of Prunus spp., including many cultivated stone fruit trees such as peach, apricot, plum, and cherry [1]. Native to the south-eastern Palearctic and Oriental regions, A. bungii was intercepted in 2008 in United Kingdom and USA among wooden pallets and in a manufacturing plant, respectively [1]. The first reports of this pest from host trees outside its native range date back to 2011 in Germany [4] and 2012 in Italy [5,6]. The red-necked longhorn beetle, Aromia bungii, is one of the most damaging pests of stone fruit trees. The largest EAG responses (>0.8 mV) were elicited by

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