Cerambycid Beetles Research Articles

Species Richness and Phenology of Cerambycid Beetles in Urban Forest Fragments of Northern Delaware

ABSTRACT Cerambycid beetles are abundant and diverse in forests, but much about their host relationships and adult behavior remains unknown. Generic blends of synthetic pheromones were used as lures in traps, to assess the species richness, and phenology of cerambycids in forest fragments in northern Delaware. More than 15,000 cerambycid beetles of 69 species were trapped over 2yr. Activity periods were similar to those found in previous studies, but many species were active 1–3 wk earlier in 2012 than in 2013, probably owing to warmer spring temperatures that year. In 2012, the blends were tested with and without ethanol, a host plant volatile produced by stressed trees. Of cerambycid species trapped in sufficient numbers for statistical analysis, ethanol synergized pheromone trap catches for seven species, but had no effect on attraction to pheromone for six species. One species was attracted only by ethanol. The generic pheromone blend, especially when combined with ethanol, was an effective tool for a...

Molecular identification of sibling species of Sclerodermus (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae) that parasitize buprestid and cerambycid beetles by using partial sequences of mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 and 28S ribosomal RNA gene.

The species belonging to Sclerodermus (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae) are currently the most important insect natural enemies of wood borer pests, mainly buprestid and cerambycid beetles, in China. However, some sibling species of this genus are very difficult to distinguish because of their similar morphological features. To address this issue, we conducted phylogenetic and genetic analyses of cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and 28S RNA gene sequences from eight species of Sclerodermus reared from different wood borer pests. The eight sibling species were as follows: S. guani Xiao et Wu, S. sichuanensis Xiao, S. pupariae Yang et Yao, and Sclerodermus spp. (Nos. 1–5). A 594-bp fragment of COI and 750-bp fragment of 28S were subsequently sequenced. For COI, the G-C content was found to be low in all the species, averaging to about 30.0%. Sequence divergences (Kimura-2-parameter distances) between congeneric species averaged to 4.5%, and intraspecific divergences averaged to about 0.09%. Further, the maximum sequence divergences between congeneric species and Sclerodermus sp. (No. 5) averaged to about 16.5%. All 136 samples analyzed were included in six reciprocally monophyletic clades in the COI neighbor-joining (NJ) tree. The NJ tree inferred from the 28S rRNA sequence yielded almost identical results, but the samples from S. guani, S. sichuanensis, S. pupariae, and Sclerodermus spp. (Nos. 1–4) clustered together and only Sclerodermus sp. (No. 5) clustered separately. Our findings indicate that the standard barcode region of COI can be efficiently used to distinguish morphologically similar Sclerodermus species. Further, we speculate that Sclerodermus sp. (No. 5) might be a new species of Sclerodermus.

On two rare cerambycid beetles (Coleoptera) from India

On two rare cerambycid beetles (Coleoptera) from India

On two rare cerambycid beetles (Coleoptera) from India

Two unique cerambycid beetle species, which were collected from Kerala in 1997, were recently identified as Anoeme andrewesi Gahan, 1906 (Prioninae, Meroscelisini) and Zoodes maculatus (White, 1855), (Cerambycinae, Hesperophanini). Of the two species, Z. maculatus was previously only known from Sri Lanka; therefore, this is a new locality record and addition to the Indian faunal list of Cerambycidae. Types of both species are preserved in the Natural History Museum, London, UK (BMNH). Brief descriptions and color photographs of these two species are presented here. Both specimens were collected approximately 6 km North of Munnar, Kerala, India, on 14 April 1997, by a local collector. These are now preserved in E. Vives’s private collection, Barcelona, Spain.

Substrate-borne vibrations induce behavioral responses in the leaf-dwelling cerambycid, Paraglenea fortunei.

Many insects utilize substrate-borne vibrations as a source of information for recognizing mates or predators. Among various substrates, plant leaves are commonly used for transmitting and receiving vibrational information. However, little is known about the utilization of vibrations by leaf-dwelling insects, especially coleopteran beetles. We conducted two experiments to examine the response of the leaf-dwelling cerambycid beetle, Paraglenea fortunei, to substrate-borne vibrations. We recorded and analyzed vibrations of host plant leaves from four different sources: wind (0.5 m/s), a beetle during landing, a walking beetle, and a beetle walking in the wind (0.5 m/s). We then measured the behavioral thresholds, the lowest amplitudes that induce behavioral responses, from beetles walking and resting on horizontal and vertical substrates with pulsed vibrations ranging from 20 Hz to 1 kHz. The vibrational characteristics of biotic and abiotic stimuli clearly differed. Beetle-generated vibrations (landing, walking, and walking in the wind) were broadly high in the low-frequency components above ∼30 Hz, while wind-generated vibrations showed a dominant peak at ∼30 Hz and a steep decrease thereafter. Among four situations, beetles walking on horizontal substrates showed lowest thresholds to vibrations of 75-500 Hz, which are characteristic of beetle-generated vibrations. Given that P. fortunei beetles are found on horizontal leaf surfaces of the host plant, vibrations transmitted though horizontal substrates may induce a strong freeze response in walking beetles to detect conspecifics or heterospecifics. Our findings provide evidence that leaf-dwelling beetles can discriminate among biotic and abiotic factors via differences in vibrational characteristics.

Short‐term effect of selection cutting in boreal balsam fir forest on cerambycid and scolytid beetles

AbstractThe ecology and management of boreal forest ecosystems are drawing greater attention worldwide as their importance is being increasingly recognized for carbon sequestration or for harbouring the world's largest remaining intact forests. Selection cuts have been introduced as a more socially acceptable silvicultural method to improve the maintenance of habitat structure and functions as they mimic aspects of boreal forest succession dynamics. Many studies have shown that selection cutting helps maintaining arthropod communities in mature forests, but few have examined the increased risks of damage by bark‐ and wood‐boring insects in boreal forests of eastern North America. We used multidirectional flight‐interception traps to quantify the response of these beetles to 25 and 40% selection cutting in a balsam fir–white birch forest of Québec, Canada. The abundance and species number of both cerambycid and scolytid beetles were 5–6 times larger in selectively cut stands than in controls the year following treatments. Analyses revealed that bark‐ and wood‐boring beetles’ response was mostly associated with increased canopy openness in selectively cut stands (and sun‐exposed locations within them) and residual tree injuries caused by harvesting operations. These conditions attracted beetles such as Trypodendron lineatum (Scolytinae) and Rhagium inquisitor (Cerambycidae), two species known for their ability to attack weakened, dying and dead hosts. Most species were more abundant in selection cuts, except for Evodinus m. monticola (Cerambycidae) whose abundance was strongly reduced after treatment. Some beetles can have detrimental effects on residual trees and thus could reduce timber value, but most species found in treated stands do not represent a high risk for healthy trees. Thus, selection cuts do not seem favourable to the establishment of tree‐killing beetles. However, as they were found more active/abundant after selection cutting, it would be wise to further study their population dynamics over mid‐ and long‐term periods, along with the ecological and economic implications associated with this silvicultural treatment.

Carbonyl reduction in the biosynthesis of a male sex pheromone secreted by the grape borer Xylotrechus pyrrhoderus.

Males of the cerambycid beetle Xylotrechus pyrrhoderus release a mixture of (S)-2-hydroxy-3-octanone [(S)-1] and (2S,3S)-2,3-octanediol [(2S,3S)-2] as a sex pheromone that attracts conspecific females. The chemical structures of these pheromone components include a common motif and are assumed to be biosynthetically related. Here, we show that deuterated (S)-1, applied on the cuticle of a pronotal pheromone gland, was converted into (2S,3S)-2, that included deuterium atoms, but a reverse conversion did not take place. These results reveal a carbonyl reductase to be active in the pheromone gland, and that the ketol is a biosynthetic precursor of the diol. Males did not produce (R)-1; however, deuterated (R)-1 was converted into (2R,3R)-2, indicating an attack of the enzyme from the opposite side of the hydroxyl group at the 2-position. Furthermore, to understand the substrate specificity of the enzyme, racemates of 2-hydroxy-3-hexanone and 2-hydroxy-3-decanone were synthesized and applied to the gland. Their conversion into the corresponding diols suggests that the enzyme reduces the carbonyl group at the 3-position, regardless of the chain length.

Apriona cinerea

<i>Apriona cinerea</i>

Stratification in French Guiana: Cerambycid Beetles Go Up When Rains Come Down

AbstractWhen tropical rain forest insect species are associated with a particular season or forest stratum, it can imply tolerance for heat and drought—or moisture dependence; attributes that may predict their responses to global climate change. In French Guiana (1995–1996), wood‐boring cerambycid beetles made a seasonal shift in stratum. During the dry season, ground stratum bait branches were densely colonized, but during the rainy season almost all cerambycids emerged from canopy stratum branches. Because the same substrate was available at both levels, abiotic factors probably influenced branch selection. In this study, cerambycids were reared at the same site (2007–2008) to determine if the seasonal shift recurred. Microclimate data (temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed) were collected with portable weather meters to test the hypothesis that microclimate would be similar at ground stratum during the dry season, and at canopy stratum during the rainy season. The seasonal shift in stratum did recur; many cerambycid individuals (56%) belonged to species classified as ‘seasonal shifters’. Temperatures in the preferred microhabitats were intermediate, but relative humidity remained high during the rainy season (regardless of stratum) and it was windier in the canopy (regardless of season). The shifters preferentially colonized branches at moderate mean temperatures (23.0–24.3°C) and high mean relative humidities (91.3–100%). Shifters were considered season and stratum generalists because they were reared at both strata and were present in both seasons, but they may actually track a narrow microclimate window. Should the regional climate become warmer and drier, it would probably favor species currently restricted to the dry season or canopy stratum.

Design Factors That Influence the Performance of Flight Intercept Traps for the Capture of Longhorned Beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) from the Subfamilies Lamiinae and Cerambycinae

In North America, cerambycid beetles can have significant ecological and economic effects on forest ecosystems, and the rate of introduction and/or detection of exotic species is increasing. Detection and survey programs rely on semiochemical-baited intercept traps which are often ineffective for large woodborers like cerambycid beetles. This study examined the effects of flight intercept trap design on the capture of cerambycid beetles in the subfamilies Lamiinae and Cerambycinae. These subfamilies are the two largest in the Cerambycidae and they include many of the most damaging cerambycid pests and species on regulatory watch lists in North America. This study demonstrates that intercept trap design, treatment of trap surfaces with a lubricant, and the type of collection cup all influence the capture of beetles from the subfamilies Lamiinae and Cerambycinae. It also demonstrates that the addition of a large lubricant-treated collar to the bottom funnel of a multiple-funnel trap significantly increases the capture of some Lamiinae. The best trap design for both subfamilies was a lubricant treated multiple-funnel [MF] trap equipped with a wet cup and lubricant treated large collar on the bottom funnel. This design captured between 4 and 14 times more Lamiinae and Cerambycinae than commercially-available MF and panel traps.

Identification and characterization of plant cell wall degrading enzymes from three glycoside hydrolase families in the cerambycid beetle Apriona japonica

Xylophagous insects have evolved to thrive in a highly challenging environment. For example, wood-boring beetles from the family Cerambycidae feed exclusively on woody tissues, and to efficiently access the nutrients present in this sub-optimal environment, they have to cope with the lignocellulose barrier. Whereas microbes of the insect's gut flora were hypothesized to be responsible for the degradation of lignin, the beetle itself depends heavily on the secretion of a range of enzymes, known as plant cell wall degrading enzymes (PCWDEs), to efficiently digest both hemicellulose and cellulose networks. Here we sequenced the larval gut transcriptome of the Mulberry longhorn beetle, Apriona japonica (Cerambycidae, Lamiinae), in order to investigate the arsenal of putative PCWDEs secreted by this species. We combined our transcriptome with all available sequencing data derived from other cerambycid beetles in order to analyze and get insight into the evolutionary history of the corresponding gene families. Finally, we heterologously expressed and functionally characterized the A. japonica PCWDEs we identified from the transcriptome. Together with a range of endo-β-1,4-glucanases, we describe here for the first time the presence in a species of Cerambycidae of (i) a xylanase member of the subfamily 2 of glycoside hydrolase family 5 (GH5 subfamily 2), as well as (ii) an exopolygalacturonase from family GH28. Our analyses greatly contribute to a better understanding of the digestion physiology of this important group of insects, many of which are major pests of forestry worldwide.

Corymbia phloem phenolics, tannins and terpenoids: interactions with a cerambycid borer

Plant secondary chemistry mediates the ability of herbivores to locate, accept and survive on potential host plants. We examined the relationship between attack by the cerambycid beetle Phoracantha solida and the chemistry of the secondary phloem (inner bark) of two differentially attacked plantation forestry taxa, Corymbia variegata and its hybrid with C. torelliana. We hypothesised that this differential rate of attack may have to do with differences in secondary chemistry between the taxa. We found differences in the bark chemistry of the taxa, both with respect to phenolic compounds and terpenoids. We could detect no difference between bored and non-bored C. variegata trees (the less preferred, but co-evolved host). Hybrid trees were not different in levels of total polyphenols, flavanols or terpenes according to attack status, but acetone extracts were significantly different between bored and non-bored trees. We propose that variations in the bark chemistry explain the differential attack rate between C. variegata and the hybrid hosts.

First record of the Long-horned Beetle Apiocephalus licheneus Gahan from western India (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lepturinae)

Apiocephalus licheneus Gahan, a lepturine cerambycid beetle, is reported from the western part of India for the first time. It is briefly described and all the important characters are illustrated to help subsequent identification.

Generic Lures Attract Cerambycid Beetles in a Tropical Montane Rain Forest in Southern China

The attraction of cerambycid beetles to 10 known cerambycid pheromones was tested in a tropical montane rain forest in southern China. From 28 May to 25 June 2010, 1,526 cerambycids representing 71 species were captured in pheromone-baited traps, with 14 species accounting for 92% of the specimens. Test compounds with a 3-hydroxyalkan-2-one or 2,3-alkanediol motif attracted significant numbers of both sexes for eight species in the subfamily Cerambycinae, including species of Demonax, Rhaphuma, and Xylotrechus. Rhaphuma horsfieldi (White) was the only species that was strongly attracted to more than one test compound, with significant attraction to both (2R*,3R*)-2,3-hexanediol and (2R*,3R*)-2,3-octanediol. Within the Lamiinae, males and females of five species were significantly attracted to 2-(undecyloxy) ethanol, including Acalolepta formosana (Breuning), Monochamus bimaculatus Gahan, Pharsalia subgemmata (Thomson), Pseudomacrochenus antennatus (Gahan), and Xenohammus bimaculatus Schwarzer. Only male Megopis costipennis White (Prioninae) were significantly attracted to (2R*,3S*)-2,3-octanediol, suggesting that this compound may be a sex pheromone component for this species. To date, 2,3-octanediols have only been reported as aggregation pheromone components for cerambycids in the subfamily Cerambycinae. Our results support the hypothesis that both closely related (congeners) and more distantly related cerambycid species (different tribes and even subfamilies) may share pheromone components. Our results also demonstrate that traps baited with even a limited number of different classes of pheromones may be useful tools for surveying cerambycid diversity, as well as for detecting and monitoring particular species, especially those that have the potential to be invasive pests in other parts of the world.

Seasonal Phenology of the Cerambycid Beetles of East Central Illinois

We summarize field data on the species composition and seasonal phenology of the community of cerambycid beetles of east-central Illinois. Data were drawn from field bioassays conducted during 2009 - 2012 that tested attraction of adult beetles of diverse species to a variety of synthetic pheromones and host plant volatiles. A total of 34,086 beetles of 114 species were captured, including 48 species in the subfamily Cerambycinae, 41 species in the Lamiinae, 19 species in the Lepturinae, two species in the Spondylidinae, and one species each in the Necydalinae, Parandrinae, Prioninae, and the Disteniidae. Most of the best-represented species were attracted to pheromones that were included in field experiments, particularly species that use (R)-3-hydroxyhexan-2-one as a pheromone component. The species captured, and their patterns of abundance and seasonal phenology were similar to those in an earlier study conducted in Pennsylvania. The most abundant species identified in both studies included the cerambycines Elaphidion mucronatum (Say), Neoclytus a. acuminatus (F.), Neoclytus m. mucronatus (F.), and Xylotrechus colonus (F.). Cerambycine species became active in an orderly progression from early spring through late fall, whereas most lamiine species were active in summer and fall, and lepturine species were limited to summer. Potential cross attraction between some cerambycine species that shared pheromone components may have been averted by differences in seasonal activity period, and by minor pheromone components that acted as synergists for conspecifics and/or antagonists for heterospecifics. These results provide quantitative data on the abundance and seasonal phenology of a large number of species.

Susceptibility of adults of the cerambycid beetle Hedypathes betulinus to the entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae, and Purpureocillium lilacinum.

The cerambycid beetle Hedypathes betulinus (Klug) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) causes severe damage to yerba mate plants ( Ilex paraguariensis (St. Hilaire) (Aquifoliales: Aquifoliaceae)), which results in large losses of production. In this study, the pathogenicity of entomopathogenic fungi of the species Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo-Crivelli) Vuillemin (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae), Metarhizium anisopliae sensu lato (Metschnikoff) Sorokin (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae), and Purpureocillium lilacinum (Thom) Luangsa-ard, Hywel-Jones, Houbraken and Samson (Hypocreales: Ophiocordycipitaceae) on yerba mate were evaluated. Fifteen isolates of B. bassiana , two of M. anisopliae , and seven of P. lilacinum on H. betulinus adults were analyzed under laboratory conditions. The raw mortality rate caused by B. bassiana isolates varied from 51.1 to 86.3%, and their LT 50 values varied between 8.7 and 13.6 d. The isolates of M. anisopliae caused 69.6‒81.8% mortality, and their LT 50 values varied between 7.4 and 7.9 d. In contrast, isolates of P. lilacinum were not pathogenic. M. anisopliae and B. bassiana isolates were pathogenic against H. betulinus adults, suggesting that they may be useful in biological control programs for insect pests of yerba mate.

A first record of Oplatocera halli Lepesme, 1956 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) from western India

Oplatocera halli Lepesme, a rare cerambycid beetle, is redescribed with the help of a series of colour illustrations. The photographic illustration is in fact the first such illustration of this beetle. We also place this beetle in the proper subgenus and tribe.

Efficient asymmetric synthesis of long chain methyl-branched hydrocarbons, components of the contact sex pheromone of females of the cerambycid beetle, Neoclytus acuminatus acuminatus

Both enantiomers of 7-methylheptacosane and 7-methylpentacosane, the major components of the female-produced contact sex pheromone of the red-headed ash borer beetle (Neoclytus acuminatus accuminatus) were synthesized in 62–68% overall yield (six steps) via alkynylation of the triflate of a shared chiral alcohol intermediate (R)- or (S)-2-methyloctanol. The enantiomers of the shared intermediate were prepared via acylation and subsequent asymmetic methylation of (R)- and (S)-4-isopropyloxazolidin-2-one chiral auxiliaries, respectively. The methodology can be readily adapted for the preparation of analogues with any desired chain length and methyl branch positions.

First record of a cerambycid beetle (Purpuricenus temminckii) from India

While documenting cerambycid beetles collected by ZSI during routine surveys of Arunachal Pradesh, India, we came across an interesting specimen of the genus Purpuricenus Dejean, 1821. Generic characters of this beetle were confirmed to be of Purpuricenus using Gahan (1906) but the characters did not match with any species described therein. However, it matched closely with Purpuricenus sinensis described very briefly in Latin and English by White (1835). It was then compared with the pictures, presented as a photo gallery of the genus Purpuricenus, prepared by Denis Kasatkin (http://www.zin.ru) and also many other images from a recent paper (Danilevsky 2012) as well as with comments in MacRae (2000) and identified as Purpuricenus temminckii Guérin–Méneville. Purpuricenus sinensis is, in fact, now a synonym of P. temminckii and is treated as a subspecies Purpuricenus temminckii sinensis White which is distributed in many parts of China, Taiwan and Laos.

Spotting the right spot: computer-aided individual identification of the threatened cerambycid beetle Rosalia alpina

Individual identification of animals is of paramount importance to analyze population size, dispersal, habitat preferences or behaviour. Especially for sensitive, threatened species, it is advisable to develop non-invasive recognition methods avoiding direct handling and tagging of the study subjects to be applied to procedures such as marking-recapture. Here we present an application of the I3S software for the individual recognition of the Rosalia longicorn Rosalia alpina based on the contour digitization of the spots present on the beetle’s elytra. Classification performances to individual level tested on an overall sample of 290 images (one per subject) were 94.8 (both elytra), 94.5 (right elytron) and 95.2 % (left elytron). Since I3S leaves the final decision to the operator, such high classification performances may be refined further in the final step leading to a fully reliable identification. We found that the identification performance was statistically supported and that the influence of two main error sources (contour tracing and angle under which the images were taken) was negligible. Our approach minimizes the subjectivity of a qualitative manual comparison of images and greatly reduces the time taken to visually retrieve the image of an individual especially for large photo libraries. It may be successfully used in surveys covering large areas and involving many untrained operators such as volunteers or park rangers. We propose that I3S can be applied to other insect species presenting characteristic spot patterns. To our best knowledge, this is the first study using computer-aided identification of a terrestrial arthropod.