Hyphantria cunea (Drury) Showed a Stronger Oviposition Preference for Native Plants after Invading the Subtropical Region of China

Abstract

Hyphantria cunea (Drury) (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) is an invasive alien species that is widely distributed in northern China. H. cunea now occurs for the first time in the subtropical areas of China. Despite the importance of identifying oviposition host plants to control the spread of H. cunea, it is not clear whether H. cunea has a new oviposition preference for plant hosts in the new habitat after invading the subtropical region. At the same time, whether the presence of new plant volatiles of new hosts in new habitats influences the oviposition host preference of H. cunea has not been studied. In this study, we investigated the oviposition host plant preferences of H. cunea in the subtropical region of China. In the presence of multiple potential host plants, we found, for the first time, that H. cunea preferred Carya illinoinensis, Morus alba, and Carya cathayensis for oviposition. Through the effects on plant volatiles and on the oviposition, ten volatile compounds with significant differences in relative abundance between five plants with different fitness levels were significantly correlated with the oviposition preference of females. Cis-Hex-3-en-1-ol, (E)-3-Hexen-1-ol, cis-3-Hexenyl acetate 1, and 3-Pentadiene,4-methyl, had a significant positive correlation with the adult oviposition preference. Our results provide an important research basis for the study of green prevention and control strategies of subtropical H. cunea in China.