The research described here tests the generality of the use of contact pheromones in longhorned beetles. We have identified the cuticular hydrocarbons present in female but absent (or in small quantities) in male Xylotrechus colonus, and bioassays confirm that they are the contact pheromone used in mate recognition. These compounds include pentacosane, 3-methylpentacosane, and 9-methylpentacosane. We also studied the reproductive behavior of three other native woodborers: Megacyllene caryae Gahan, Megacyllene robinae (Forster) and Plectodera scalator (F.). We extracted hydrocarbons and tested their activity in laboratory bioassays. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to identify suspected active compounds present in female and absent in male extracts of M. caryae and M. robinae. When the extract of a M. robiniae female was applied to the elytra of a M. caryae female, male M. robinae mate with M. caryae females. Differences between species in hydrocarbons profiles suggest that the species rely on different compounds for recognizing mates and that mating is almost entirely chemically mediated.
Species 1: Coleoptera Cerambycidae Xylotrechus colonus (rustic borer)
Species 2: Coleoptera Cerambycidae Megacyllene robiniae (locust borer)
Species 3: Coleoptera Cerambycidae Megacyllene caryae (hickory borer)
Keywords: mate recognition
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