Identification and field and laboratory tests of the sex pheromone of Cerconota anonella Sepp. (Lepidoptera: Oecophoridae) E. V. Pires, A. de L. Mendonça, L. Vaníčková, N. S. J. Serra, R. de C. C. da Silva, D. C. dos Santos, R. da S. Campos, A. E. G. Sant'Ana, R. R. do Nascimento Journal of Applied Entomology, 2016 The Annona fruit borer, Cerconota anonella Sepp., is a serious agricultural pest in many tropical areas of the world. The identification of an attractant for male C. anonella could offer new methods for pest detection and control. A mixture of compounds extracted from female C. anonella elicited antennal depolarization in the male borer. These compounds were identified as octadecanal, 1‐octadecanol, octadecyl acetate, (Z)‐octadec‐9‐enal (Z9‐18:Ald), (Z)‐octadec‐9‐en‐1‐ol (Z9‐18:OH) and [(Z)‐octadec‐9‐enyl] acetate (Z9‐18:Ac) by one‐ and two‐dimensional gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. In laboratory bioassays, synthetic individual compounds as well as synthetic mixtures were found to be attractive to males. In addition, field tests using Delta traps with 1 mg of the ternary mixture composed of Z9‐18:Ac, Z9‐18:Ald and Z9‐18:OH in the ratio of 1 : 3 : 5 caught as many males as traps containing virgin females. The ternary mixture of Z9‐18:Ac, Z9‐18:Ald and Z9‐18:OH was identified as attractant to C. anonella males and can be used to detect and control populations of this insect in Annonaceae plantations.
Pheromone communication in anastrepha obliqua (Diptera: Tephritidae): A comparison of the volatiles and salivary gland extracts of two wild populations Gláucia B. Gonçalves, Carlos E. Silva, Adriana De Lima Mendonça, Lucie Vaníčková, Aleš Tomčala, Ruth R. Do Nascimento Florida Entomologist, 2013 The West Indian fruit fly Anastrepha obliqua Macquart (Diptera: Tephritidae) is one of the major pests on mango (Mangifera indica L.; Sapindales: Anacardiaceae) and starfruit (Averrhoa carambola L.; Oxalidales: Oxalidaceae) crop plantations in Brazil. Pheromone communication inter alia plays an important role in fruit-fly courtship behavior. In order to highlight the site of pheromone synthesis, we identified and compared the volatiles from the aeration extracts of calling males with the volatiles produced by their salivary glands in 2 wild populations of A. obliqua collected from mangoes and starfruits. In addition, we performed a series of bioassays to compare the biological significance of both extracts. In total, 36 volatile compounds were identified, with 8 of them being shared by the 2 populations and the 2 extract types. Linalool and α-copaene were exclusively found in the aeration extract while ethyl heptanoate, methyl octanoate, and 1-nonanol were detected only in the salivary-gland extracts. The chemical profiles of the volatiles from the aeration extracts and from the salivary-gland extracts differed significantly between the 2 populations as well as the chemical profiles of both extracts within each population. The quantities of the 8 shared compounds generated a variability of more than 60% in the mango population and 80% in the starfruit population. The similarities observed between the chemical profiles of the aeration extracts and the salivary-gland extracts suggest that the latter could be the storage site and probably also the production site of some pheromone components in this fruit-fly species. This hypothesis is supported by the comparable biological activities of both extracts in terms of their attractiveness for conspecific females.
Pheromone analyses of the anastrepha fraterculus (Diptera: Tephritidae) cryptic species complex Radka Břízová, Adriana L. Mendonça, Lucie Vanícková, Alana L. Mendonça, Carlos Eduardo Da Silva, Aleš Tomčala, Beatriz Aguiar Jordão Paranhos, Vanessa Simões Dias, Iara Sordi Joachim-Bravo, Michal Hoskovec, Blanka Kalinová, Ruth R. Do Nascimento Florida Entomologist, 2013 The South American fruit fly Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) cryptic species complex is presently one of the most studied pest models in terms of speciation and population mating compatibility. The improvement of pest-control techniques has strongly relied on successful implementation of laboratory strains into wild populations. Pheromone communication plays an important role in the mating process in the South American fruit fly. Therefore, the main goal of the present study was to investigate the pheromone composition of 7 different populations, originating from geographically distant locations in Brazil and Argentina. Fourteen volatile compounds were identified in calling male emanations by GC×GC/TOF-MS and the data obtained were subsequently analyzed by multivariate statistics. The pheromone composition varied both quantitatively and qualitatively among the studied populations. These results will serve as the basis for further electrophysiological analyses.
The biology of Diatraea flavipennella (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) reared under laboratory conditions Maria Do Rosário T. de Freitas, Edleide L. Da Silva, Adriana De L. Mendonça, Carlos Eduardo Da Silva, Ana Paula P. Da Fonseca, Alana De L. Mendonça, José De S. Santos, Ruth R. Do Nascimento, Antônio Euzébio G. Sant’ana Florida Entomologist, 2007 Aspects of the biology of the sugarcane pest Diatraea flavipennella (Box 1931) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), locally named broca-pequena da cana-de-açúcar, reared and maintained under laboratory conditions and fed on an artificial diet have been investigated. The larval stage, which involved 7 instars, continued for a mean period of 34.87 d. Each instar could be characterized by the size of the cephalic capsule, which increased 1.28-fold on average between instars. The mean duration of the pupal stage was 12.75 d. The pupae exhibited sexual dimorphism in that the females were larger than the males, while the latter exhibited a genital pore that was absent in the females. In adult insects, the female/male ratio was 1:1.3. Adult females were on average 28.73 mm in size while the mean value for adult males was only 20.80 mm. Females commenced oviposition on the first d of their adult life and were able to oviposit until d 6. On average each female produced 431.05 eggs during her lifetime, although the majority of eggs were deposited during the first 2 d after emergence.
Reproductive behaviour of the Annona fruit borer, Cerconota anonella Edleide L. Da Silva, Cenira M. De Carvalho, Ruth R. Do Nascimento, Adriana L. Mendonça, Carlos E. Da Silva, Gláucia B. Gonçalves, Maria do Rosário T. De Freitas, Antônio E. G. Sant'Ana Ethology, 2006 The Annona fruit borer, Cerconota anonella, causes significant damage to the fruits of Annona squamosa (custard apple) and A. muricata (soursop). The methods currently available for the control of this pest are costly and new techniques, possibly involving the use of pheromones for trapping or disrupting the mating cycle of the insect are required. In order to provide the basic information required for the development of new control systems, the reproductive behaviour of the moth was observed under laboratory conditions. The calling and courtship behaviours exhibited by virgin females and males of C. anonella commenced at the eighth hour of the scotophase and continued for a 3.5‐h period. Males were attracted by conspecific females as young as 1 d old, and showed a courtship behaviour composed of three steps: antennation, wing fanning and short flights. Mating mainly occurred when both males and females were between 2 and 5 d old, but maximum activity was observed on the third day after emergence. Receptive females elevated their wings, showing their abdomens where the abdominal hairpencils were already exposed. As part of the courtship repertoire and immediately prior to copula, males performed pronounced sideways movements of their abdomens, a behaviour that appears to be exclusive to C. anonella.
Comparison of the volatile components released by calling males of Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) with those extractable from the salivary glands Gláucia B. Gonçalves, Carlos E. Silva, Jeinny C. G. Dos Santos, Eunice S. Dos Santos, Ruth R. Do Nascimento, Edleide Leite Da Silva, Adriana De Lima Mendonça, Maria Do Rosário Tenório De Freitas, Antônio E. G. Sant’Ana Florida Entomologist, 2006 The volatile compounds released by calling males of Ceratitis capitata and those that were extracted from the salivary glands with n-hexane were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Twelve of the 24 compounds identified in the released volatiles, namely, 2-heptanone, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, 3-octanone, ethyl hexanoate, methyl heptanoate, 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, limonene, indene, ethyl heptanoate, methyl octanoate, α-trans-bergamotene and (E,E)-α-farnesene, also were detected in the glandular extract. The similarities found in the chemical profiles of the released volatiles and of the salivary gland suggest that the latter is the storage site, and also perhaps the site of synthesis, of some of the pheromone components in this species of fruit fly.
