1. Academic Validation
  2. A male-produced aggregation pheromone of Monochamus alternatus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), a major vector of pine wood nematode

A male-produced aggregation pheromone of Monochamus alternatus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), a major vector of pine wood nematode

  • J Econ Entomol. 2011 Oct;104(5):1592-8. doi: 10.1603/ec11076.
Stephen A Teale 1 Jacob D Wickham Feiping Zhang Jun Su Yi Chen Wei Xiao Lawrence M Hanks Jocelyn G Millar
Affiliations

Affiliation

  • 1 College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York, Syracus, NY 13210, USA. sateale@esf.edu
Abstract

The beetle Monochamus alternatus Hope (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is an efficient vector of pine wood nematode, the causal pathogen of pine wilt disease, that has resulted in devastating losses of pines in much of Asia. We assessed the response of adult M. alternatus to 2-(undecyloxy)-ethanol, the male-produced pheromone of the congeneric M. galloprovincialis Dejean, in field experiments in Fujian Province, People's Republic of China. Both sexes of M. alternatus were attracted to lures consisting of 2-(undecyloxy)-ethanol combined with the host plant volatiles alpha-pinene and ethanol. A follow-up experiment showed that 2-(undecyloxy)-ethanol was synergized by both ethanol and alpha-pinene. Coupled gas-chromatography mass-spectrometry analyses of volatiles sampled from field-collected beetles of both sexes revealed that 2-(undecyloxy)-ethanol was a sex-specific pheromone component produced only by males. The combination of 2- (undecyloxy) -ethanol with ethanol and/or alpha-pinene will provide a valuable and badly needed tool for quarantine detection, monitoring, and management of M. alternatus.

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