Abstract
Mate location in many mirid bugs (Heteroptera: Miridae) is mediated by female-released sex pheromones. To elucidate the potential role of the pheromones in prezygotic reproductive isolation between sympatric species, we investigated differences in the pheromone systems of five mirid species, Apolygus lucorum, Apolygus spinolae, Orthops campestris, Stenotus rubrovittatus and Taylorilygus apicalis. GC/MS analyses of metathoracic scent gland extracts of virgin females showed that all five species produced mixtures of hexyl butyrate, (E)-2-hexenyl butyrate and (E)-4-oxo-2-hexenal, but in quite different ratios. (E)-2-hexenyl butyrate was the major component of A. spinolae, while hexyl butyrate was the most abundant component in the pheromone blends of the other four species. In addition to the three compounds, a fourth component, (E)-2-octenyl butyrate, was present in the gland extracts of A. lucorum and T. apicalis females. Field tests suggest that the ternary blends of hexyl butyrate, (E)-2-hexenyl butyrate and (E)-4-oxo-2-hexenal as found in the extracts of the females of each species do not inhibit attraction of conspecific males but ensure species-specificity of attraction between A. lucorum, O. campestris and T. apicalis. Furthermore, (E)-2-octenyl butyrate was essential for attraction of A. lucorum and T. apicalis males, but strongly inhibited attraction of male A. spinolae, O. campestris and S. rubrovittatus. The combined results from this study and previous studies suggest that the minor component and pheromone dose in addition to the relative ratio of the major components play an important role in reproductive isolation between mirid species.
Highlights
Miridae are one of the most species-rich families of insects, with over 11,000 described species [1]
hexyl butyrate (HB), E2HB and 4-OHE have been found in extracts of many mirid species, and have diverse functions such as defensive allomones, anti-sex pheromones, or sex pheromones [4]
These three compounds have been identified as components of the female sex pheromones of three Asian mirids, S. rubrovittatus [12], A. spinolae [13] and Adelphocoris fasciaticollis [23], three North American mirids, Lygus hesperus, Lygus lineolaris and Lygus elisus [24], and four European mirids, Lygus pratensis, Lygus rugulipennis, Lygocoris pabulinus and Liocoris tripustulatus [25]
Summary
Miridae are one of the most species-rich families of insects, with over 11,000 described species [1]. Females of many mirid species have been shown to attract males by means of long-range sex pheromones [2,3]. In Miridae, sex pheromones to date have been identified from 16 species [4]. These data show that mirid bugs generally use saturated and unsaturated short-chain esters and an unsaturated ketoaldehyde for mate finding. Ten species utilize mixtures of hexyl butyrate, (E)-2-hexenyl butyrate and (E)-4-oxo-2-hexenal in their sex pheromones. Species specificity of sex pheromone blends is responsible for pre-mating reproductive
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