Identification of the female-produced sex pheromone of the scarab beetle, Hoplia equina.

Aijun Zhang, Paul S Robbins, Anne L Averill, Donald C Weber, Charles E Linn, Wendell L Roelofs, Michael G Villani

Index: J. Chem. Ecol. 29(7) , 1635-42, (2003)

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Abstract

Hoplia equina LeConte (Coleoptera Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) is a beetle pest of cranberry beds in Massachusetts. Larvae feed on the roots of the cranberry plant, reducing yield as well as vine density. The female sex pheromone was identified as 2-tetradecanone. There were eight compounds found in the airborne volatiles collected from females that elicited antennal responses from males. Of the eight compounds tested (nonanal, decanal, dodecanal, 2-dodecanone, 2-tridecanone, 2-tetradecanone, 2-pentadecanone, and 2-hexadecanone), 2-tetradecanone was the only one that attracted male beetles in the field. Combining any of the other seven antennally active compounds with 2-tetradecanone did not increase male capture.