(R)-(+)-citronellal identified as a female-produced sex pheromone of Aromia bungii Faldermann (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

Abstract

Aromia bungii Faldermann (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is an important wood-boring pest of peach, apricot, plum and cherry in China. It is difficult to control it because of the cryptic feeding behaviour of larvae within the bark. In order to facilitate monitoring and control strategies for adult A. bungii, a series of experiments to verify its sex pheromone was conducted. Firstly, Y-tube experiments showed that A. bungii males were significantly attracted to volatiles from living female A. bungii. Combined with our earlier laboratory results showing that A. bungii females could emit (R)-(+)-citronellal, we evaluated the antennal responses of male A. bungii to (R)-(+)-citronellal using coupled gas chromatography-electroantennograms (GC-EAD) and electroantennography (EAG). (R)-(+)-citronellal elicited male antennal responses. In Y-tube behavioural bioassays, (R)-(+)-citronellal was attractive to male A. bungii. Therefore, (R)-(+)-citronellal which is a sex pheromone component produced by female A. bungii was hypothesised. The efficiency of using (R)-(+)-citronellal, alone or in combination with other attractants, to monitor and control A. bungii now requires further field experimentation and optimisation.