Studies on the chemical ecology of the wood-boring beetles Euplatypus parallelus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and Dinoderus minutus (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae)

• Autor(a) principal: Rainho, Hugo Leoncini
• Data de Publicação: 2021
• Tipo de documento: Tese
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Biblioteca Digital de Teses e Dissertações da USP
• Texto Completo: https://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/11/11146/tde-28052021-121757/
• topic: Ambrosia beetle; Atraentes; Attractants; Bamboo borer; Besouro da ambrosia; Broca do bambu; Cairomônios; Chemical ecology; Ecologia química; Feromônio sexual; Host selection; Insect-plant interaction; Interação inseto-planta; Interação tritrófica; Kairomones; Plant volatiles; Seleção hospedeira; Semiochemicals; Semioquímicos; Sex pheromone; Tritrophic interaction; Voláteis de planta

The ambrosia pinhole borer, Euplatypus parallelus (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Platypodinae), and the bamboo borer, Dinoderus minutus (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae: Dinoderinae) are among the most invasive and economically important pests of their respective families. Despite these beetles\' economic importance, a few efficient and ecologically-safe strategies for their management are available. Semiochemicals, including attractant and repellent compounds, have been applied for the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) of beetles within the families Curculionidae and Bostrichidae worldwide. Attractant pheromones or plant volatiles (kairomones) for E. parallelus and D. minutus have not been addressed. In this thesis, a putative sex pheromone and attractant volatiles of plants for E. parallelus and D. minutus were identified and validated by field bioassays. This thesis was divided into two chapters. Chapter 1 presents the identification and evaluation of a blend of male-specific volatile compounds of E. parallelus, combined or not to the ethanol, a compound presumably produced by host plants of this beetle. Chapter 2 presents the identification and evaluation of volatile organic compounds (VOC\'s) produced by bamboo plants, which play a role in the host location by adult males and females of D. minutus. In Chapter 1, the results showed that: (i) males of E. parallelus produce five sex-specific compounds (three alcohols, one monoterpene alcohol, and one acetate ester), which consisting of a chemical cue (i.e., a putative sex pheromone) on the attraction of conspecific females only when combined with the ethanol supposedly produced by suitable host trees for the breeding of this wood-boring beetle; (ii) males of E. parallelus are attracted only to the ethanol, which serves as a determinative chemical cue for the host-plant location by males of this species; (iii) potential natural enemies of E. parallelus belonging to the genus Sosylus (Coleoptera: Bothrideridae) are attracted to the combination of the E. parallelus male-specific compounds with ethanol, revealing that these natural enemies use the chemical channels of communication of its prey to locate it. In Chapter 2, it was observed that: (i) culms of bamboo plants become attractive and start to be drilled by adults of D. minutus after cutting the plants, which is related to the volatile compounds released by the culms; (ii) adult males and females of D. minutus are attracted to a blend of compounds released by the cut bamboo culms, which plays a role in the location of suitable host plants for the breeding of this species. The identified semiochemicals are promising for the monitoring and control of the wood-boring beetles E. parallelus and D. minutus.