Preferences of Anoplophora glabripennis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) for four host plants in Japan: potential for switching host plants

Some insects use host and mate cues, including odor, color, and shape, to locate and recognize their preferred hosts and mates. Previous research has shown that the Asian longicorn beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky), uses olfactory cues to locate host plants and differentiate them from non-host plants. However, whether A. glabripennis adults use visual cues or a combination of visual and olfactory cues remains unclear. In this study, we tested the host location and recognition behavior in A. glabripennis, which infests a number of hardwood species and causes considerable economic losses in North America, Europe and Asia. We determined the relative importance of visual and olfactory cues from Acer negundo in host plant location and recognition, as well as in the discrimination of non-host plants (Sabina chinensis and Pinus bungeana), by female and male A. glabripennis. Visual and olfactory cues from the host plants (A. negundo), alone and combined, attracted significantly more females and males than equivalent cues from non-host plants (S. chinensis and P. bungeana). Furthermore, the combination of visual and olfactory cues of host plants attracted more adults than either cue alone, and visual cues alone attracted significantly more adults than olfactory cues alone. This finding suggests that adult A. glabripennis has an innate preference for the visual and/or olfactory cues of its host plants (A. negundo) over those of the non-host plant and visual cues are initially more important than olfactory cues for orientation; furthermore, this finding also suggests that adults integrate visual and olfactory cues to find their host plants. Our results indicate that different modalities of host plant cues should be considered together to understand fully the communication between host plants and Asian longhorned beetles.

Anoplophora glabripennis (Motsch.) is a woodboring beetle that is native to China. For a long time, it caused great losses in the economy and ecology of northwest China. Attractants are often used to control insects. The volatiles emitted from the host plant play an important role for insects in finding their target. To explore the mechanism of selectivity to different host plants, the response of Anoplophora glabripennis to four different host plants was investigated, which included Acer negundo L., Acer mono Maxim., Acer truncatum Bunge. and Acer platanoides L., and the compounds in the profiles of volatiles were identified from these species. The olfactory responses of Anoplophora glabripennis to the odors of different plants showed preference for certain host plants: Acer negundo, Acer mono and Acer truncatum. The attraction of Acer negundo and Acer mono was significantly different (p Acer mono Maxim.>Acer truncatum Bunge.>Acer platanoides L.. 1-penten-3-ol, ocimene and trans-Germanylacetone were repellent to Anoplophora glabripennis. 1-penten-3-ol and trans-gerranylacetone were identified in Acer platanoides, and Ocimene was the most attractive to Anoplophora glabripennis among these species. The extent of feeding damage caused by Anoplophora glabripennis differed among four species. The sequences was Acer negundo>Acer mono>Acer truncatum>Acer platanoides. The epidermal hairs of the four host plants revealed that the extent of damage was related to the physical characteristics of the host plants.

The Asian longhorn beetle (ALB), Anoplophora glabripennis Motschulsky, is a polyphagous xylophage with dozens of reported host tree species. However, the mechanisms by which individuals locate and recognize host plants are still unknown. We summarize the current knowledge of the host plant list, host kairomones, odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) and microbial symbionts of this beetle and their practical applications, and finally discuss the host localization and recognition mechanisms. A total of 209 species (or cultivars) were reported as ALB host plants, including 101 species of higher sensitivity; host kairomones were preferentially bound to ALB recombinant OBPs, including cis-3-hexen-1-ol, δ-3-carene, nonanal, linalool, and β-caryophyllene. In addition, microbial symbionts may help ALB degrade their host. Complementarity of tree species with different levels of resistance may reduce damage, but trapping effectiveness for adults was limited using a combination of host kairomones and sex pheromones in the field. Therefore, we discuss host location behavior from a new perspective and show that multiple cues are used by ALB to locate and recognize host plants. Further research into host resistance mechanisms and visual signal recognition, and the interaction of sex pheromone synthesis, symbiont microbiota, and host plants may help reveal the host recognition mechanisms of ALBs.

Adult and juvenile herbivores of the same species can use divergent feeding strategies, and thus may inhabit and consume different parts of the plant. Because the expression of chemical defences often differs between host plant tissues, this variation may result in disparate performance outcomes for adult and juvenile conspecifics that feed on distinct dietary substrates. The goal of this study was to evaluate how host range may differ between adults and juveniles in a generalist herbivore. We addressed the impacts of among- and within-plant defence variation using the wood-feeding Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) and three host plants having a range of putative resistance. Impacts of host plants on adult and offspring performance were assessed using a series of controlled bioassays. We evaluated adult-feeding and egg-laying behaviours in choice and no-choice experiments using the different hosts, and subsequent offspring establishment. We then evaluated host plant chemical composition related to nutrition and defence. Different plants had strong impacts on adult performance, but these patterns did not extend to effects on offspring. Females were capable of developing eggs when provided Acer rubrum, but not Populus deltoides or Populus tomentosa. Females that produced eggs by feeding on A.rubrum, however, deposited eggs into all three plant species. Larvae hatched and consumed tissues in all three hosts. The differences between adult and juvenile utilization of Populus spp. were reflected in markedly higher salicinoid phenolic concentrations in bark (>2% dw), while wood had trace quantities. Our results demonstrate that plant resistance mechanisms can differentially act upon adult and juvenile life stages of a polyphagous herbivore when there is differential expression of chemical defences among plant tissue types. Anoplophora glabripennis has been a globally successful invader due in part to its broad host range, and our results suggest a mechanism that permits the beetle to exploit marginally resistant plants. This study has implications for how host range differs between insect feeding stages, which is particularly important for invasive, polyphagous species encountering novel food sources.

Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky) have a wide range of host plants and endanger both of the health host and the stressed host. In order to find the plant volatiles which affect oviposition behaviors and lay the foundation for the development of green attractant of A. glabripennis. The oviposition preference of three host plants, Salix ohsidare, Melia azedarach and Acer negundo, was tested by laboratory the selective and no-selective oviposition test. The volatile components of three host plants were analyzed by the method of dynamic headspace adsorption to combine Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS). The results of both the selective and the no-selective test showed that S. ohsidare was the most suitable for ovipositing by A. glabripennis, followed by M. azedarach, and finally A. negundo. The success rate of oviposition of A. glabripennis on S. ohsidare was 69.4%, and the one on A. negundo was 0. The results of host volatiles analysis showed that 16 compounds were found in S. ohsidare, and 11 compounds were detected in M. azedarach and A. negundo. 3-Carene and 2-ethyl-Hexanal only tested in S. ohsidare. The contents of nonanal, styrene, and acetophenone in S. ohsidare were significantly higher than M. azedarach and A. negundo. In the above five compounds, 3-carene and nonanal were reported to show the attraction on A. glabripennis, so we speculate that 3-carene and nonanal may be the effective components for attracting oviposition of A. glabripennis females.

Evaluation of the spatial distribution of Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in South Korea combining climate and host plant distribution

Invasive Anoplophora glabripennis recently became established in Japan and has caused heavy damage to several street-tree species. Overseas, A. glabripennis infests trees of the genera Acer and Populus as common host plants, and Malus, Pyrus, and Prunus (Rosaceae), including apple, pear, and plum trees; it therefore poses a potential risk to the production of economically valuable fruits in Japan. Fruit farms in areas already invaded by A. glabripennis are now threatened with tree infestation. We aimed to determine the potential damage to major fruit species in Japan. In the laboratory, we determined if the adult beetle is attracted to the odor of each of these tree species’ branches; two confirmed host plant species and five Rosaceae fruit species, as well as its feeding preferences among branches of one host plant and the five fruit trees and its oviposition preferences among them. Among the fruit species, cherry branch had the highest rate of odor orientation by males. The feeding-preference assay showed that, besides the host plant, Japanese pear was the most consumed among the fruit trees. The potential risk of A. glabripennis laying eggs on fruit-tree branches was high for Japanese pear and above zero for plum, apple, and cherry branches.

The Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky) is a phytophagous pest that is seriously endangering Salix babylonica Linn. and S. matsudana Koidz. Poor control can damage local ecosystems, resulting in economic losses and management risks. In the context of climate change, the climatic ecological niche of organisms is no longer compatible with the surrounding environment. To mitigate the effects of climate change, some organisms respond adaptively to climate change through different mechanisms and in different ways. In this study, an optimized MaxEnt model was used to explore the potential distribution areas of A. glabripennis and its host plants, S. babylonica and S. matsudana, in response to current and future climate and to determine their movement routes and relative dynamics. The results show that the optimized model exhibits the lowest complexity and excellent prediction accuracy. It is important to note that both temperature and precipitation are the main environmental factors affecting the distribution of suitable habitats for A. glabripennis and its host plants. This is evidenced by the mean temperature of the warmest quarter and precipitation of the wettest month being the main environmental factors affecting the distribution of suitable habitats for the host plants. Similarly, the minimum temperature of the coldest month and precipitation seasonality are the primary bioclimatic variables constraining the dispersal of A. glabripennis. Under climate change, the suitable areas of both S. babylonica and S. matsudana are declining, while the suitable areas of A. glabripennis are expanding in future climates. Furthermore, three species exhibited a proclivity for migration to higher latitudes in response to climate change. In conclusion, this study contributes to our understanding of the biogeographic characteristics of these A. glabripennis, S. babylonica, and S. matsudana and provides a basis for the formulation of timely conservation strategies to reduce the potential impacts of climate change. This is of great significance for the rational management, utilization, and protection of forest ecosystems in China.

The Asian longhorn beetle (ALB) Anoplophora glabripennis Motschulsky is a destructive invasive species worldwide. Female ALB produce a pheromone component, α‐longipinene, in the genitalia. However, the origin and factors, such as age, mating, adult feeding and host plant, influencing the production of this compound are unclear. Our results showed that virgin female ALB consistently produced α‐longipinene at various ages after feeding for several days post eclosion, but unfed adult females never produced this compound. Mating significantly reduced the amount of α‐longipinene in female genitalia. α‐Longipinene was the most dominant compound in the volatiles emitted by females, but not in those emitted by males or host twigs ( Acer pensylvanicum L.). The proportion of α‐longipinene among the beetle‐released sesquiterpenes that were known to be male antennally active was significantly greater than that emitted by ALB damaged, mechanically damaged or control twigs. These results suggest that ALB females probably derive α‐longipinene or a precursor from hosts via adult feeding, and release it at a significantly different ratio from that found in host volatiles. The various ratios of α‐longipinene produced by beetles and host twigs may encode information pertaining to multiple purposes such as aggregation, mate and host location.

The Asian longhorned beetle (ALB), Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky), and citrus longhorned beetle (CLB), Anoplophora chinensis (Forster) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), are polyphagous xylophages native to Asia and are capable of killing healthy trees. ALB outbreaks began in China in the 1980s, following major reforestation programs that used ALB-susceptible tree species. No regional CLB outbreaks have been reported in Asia. ALB was first intercepted in international trade in 1992, mostly in wood packaging material; CLB was first intercepted in 1980, mostly in live plants. ALB is now established in North America, and both species are established in Europe. After each infestation was discovered, quarantines and eradication programs were initiated to protect high-risk tree genera such as Acer, Aesculus, Betula, Populus, Salix, and Ulmus. We discuss taxonomy, diagnostics, native range, bionomics, damage, host plants, pest status in their native range, invasion history and management, recent research, and international efforts to prevent new introductions.

The Asian longhorned beetle Anoplophora glabripennis (ALB) is a dreaded quarantine pest that attacks a wide range of hardwood tree species. However, some of the specified host plants which have to be eradicated in infestation zones such as lime and beech trees almost never get infested or may even be resistant to the ALB. As a result, the specified host plant list needs to be revised based on the data from the infestation areas in the EU, in order to avoid further felling of whole lime avenues and major clear-cutting in parks with old growth. As large differences may exist between species of the same genus, exact species not merely genera should be specified on the host list.

Tetraopes are aposematic longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae) that feed primarily on toxic plants in the genus Asclepias (milkweeds). Studies of Tetraopes and their host plants have revealed compelling evidence for insect-plant coevolution and cospeciation. We sequenced, assembled, and annotated the genome of the common red milkweed beetle, Tetraopes tetrophthalmus, and explored gene content and evolution, focusing on annotated genes putatively involved in chemosensation, allelochemical detoxification, and phytophagy. Comparisons were made to the Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) genome. The genome assembly comprised 779 Mb distributed across 1,057 contigs, with an N50 of 2.21 Mb and 13,089 putative genes, including 97.3% of expected single-copy orthologs. Manual curation identified 122 putative odorant receptors (OR) and 162 gustatory receptors (GR), the former number similar to A. glabripennis but the latter only 69% of the A. glabripennis suite. We also documented a greater percentage of pseudogenic GRs and ORs compared to A. glabripennis, suggesting an ongoing reduction in chemosensory function, perhaps related to host specialization. We found lower diversity within certain well-studied gene families predicted to encode putative plant cell wall degrading enzymes in the T. tetrophthalmus genome, perhaps also due to host specialization. Exploring genes relevant to stress and allelochemical detoxification revealed evidence of an abundance of ABC-family genes in the T. tetrophthalmus genome, which may be related to sequestering toxic cardiac glycosides. Our studies further illuminate the genomic basis and evolution of chemosensation in longhorn beetles and provide a new vantage point from which to explore the ecology and evolution of specialized plant-feeding in Tetraopes and other phytophagous beetles.

직접적인 기주식물 조사와 기존 문헌자료의 기록을 재검토하여, 한국산 하늘소과(딱정벌레목: 잎벌레상과) 6아과 103속 181종의 기주식물 목록을 작성하였다. 유리알락하늘소의 새로운 기주식물로 산겨릅나무가 확인된 것을 포함하여 총 14종의 하늘소와 기주식물 관계를 구명하였다. 기주식물로 44과 107속 170종 이상이 정리되었다. 이 중, 네 과(느릅나무과, 소나무과, 참나무과, 자작나무과)가 주요 기주식물 과(하늘소 기록 종수의 23% 이상 차지)인 것으로 확인되었다. 기존 문헌들에서 기주식물과 하늘소류의 무효한 학명과 국명들은 현재 통용하고 있는 유효한 학명과 국명으로 수정하였다. A revised checklist of host plants for 181 species belonging to 103 genera in six subfamilies of Cerambycidae (Coleoptera: Chrysomeloidea) in Korea is provided on the basis of the results of field surveys and literature review. A total of 14 new cerambycid-host associations are confirmed and the Manchurian striped maple, Acer tegmentosum Maxim. (Aceraceae), is listed as a new host of the Asian longhorn beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky). The names of more than 170 host plants species belonging to 107 genera in 44 families are compiled. Among them, four families (Ulmaceae, Pinaceae, Fagaceae and Betulaceae) are confirmed as the main host families (more than 23%) of most of the cerambycid species. All invalid scientific names and Korean names of plants and cerambycids in the previous literature are corrected in the present paper.

Anoplophora glabripennis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae) is an invasive wood borer pest that has caused considerable damage to forests. Gut bacteria are of great importance in the biology and ecology of herbivores, especially in growth and adaptation; however, change in the gut bacterial community of this pest feeding on different hosts is largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the gut bacterial communities of A. glabripennis larvae fed on different preferred hosts, Salix matsudana and Ulmus pumila, using 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing technology. A total of 15 phyla, 25 classes, 65 orders, 114 families, 188 genera, and 170 species were annotated in the gut of A. glabripennis larvae fed on S. matsudana or U. pumila using a 97% similarity cutoff level. The dominant phyla were Firmicutes and Proteobacteria and the core dominant genera were Enterococcus, Gibbsiella, Citrobacter, Enterobacter, and Klebsiella. There was significantly higher alpha diversity in the U. pumila group than in the S. matsudana group, and principal co-ordinate analysis showed significant differences in gut bacterial communities between the two groups. The genera with significant abundance differences between the two groups were Gibbsiella, Enterobacter, Leuconostoc, Rhodobacter, TM7a, norank, Rhodobacter, and Aurantisolimonas, indicating that the abundance of larval gut bacteria was affected by feeding on different hosts. Further network diagrams showed that the complexity of the network structure and the modularity were higher in the U. pumila group than in the S. matsudana group, suggesting more diverse gut bacteria in the U. pumila group. The dominant role of most gut microbiota was related to fermentation and chemoheterotrophy, and specific OTUs positively correlated with different functions were reported. Our study provides an essential resource for the gut bacteria functional study of A. glabripennis associated with host diet.

Wood-feeding insects encounter challenging diets containing low protein quantities, recalcitrant carbohydrate sources, and plant defensive compounds. The Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) is a wood-feeding insect that attacks and kills a diversity of hardwood tree species. We compared gene expression of midguts collected from larvae feeding in a preferred tree, sugar maple, to those consuming a nutrient-rich artificial diet, to identify genes putatively involved in host plant utilization. Anoplophora glabripennis larvae exhibited differential expression of ~3600 genes in response to different diets. Genes with predicted capacity for plant and microbial carbohydrate usage, detoxification, nutrient recycling, and immune-related genes relevant for facilitating interactions with microbial symbionts were upregulated in wood-feeding larvae compared to larvae feeding in artificial diet. Upregulation of genes involved in protein degradation and synthesis was also observed, suggesting that proteins incur more rapid turnover in insects consuming wood. Additionally, wood-feeding individuals exhibited elevated expression of several mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase genes, suggesting increased aerobic respiration compared to diet-fed larvae. These results indicate that A. glabripennis modulates digestive and basal gene expression when larvae are feeding in a nutrient-poor, yet suitable host plant compared to a tractable and nutrient-rich diet that is free of plant defensive compounds.