Emerson S. Lacey, elacey@life.uiuc.edu1, Ann M. Ray, annray@life.uiuc.edu1, Jocelyn G. Millar, millar@ucr.edu2, and Lawrence M. Hanks, hanks@life.uiuc.edu1. (1) University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, Department of Entomology, 320 Morill Hall, 505 S. Goodwin Ave, Urbana, IL, (2) University of California, Department of Entomology, Riverside, CA
We describe a male-specific calling behavior associated with the release of the aggregation pheromone (2S,3S)-hexanediol in the cerambycid species N. a. acuminatus. Males release pheromone when they raise the anterior half of the body above the substrate. We confirmed that this behavior is associated with pheromone release by sampling the pheromone-producing surface with Solid-phase microextraction (SPME). To examine the adaptive significance of the behavior, we identified the site of pheromone release with chemical, histological, and morphological techniques and demonstrated that the posture increases pheromone dissemination.
Species 1: Coleoptera Cerambycidae
Neoclytus acuminatus acuminatus (Redheaded ash borer)
Keywords: Calling behavior