Characterization of Male-Produced Aggregation Pheromone of the Bean Flower Thrips Megalurothrips sjostedti (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)

Kirk

Abstract

Aggregation of the bean flower thrips, Megalurothrips sjostedti (Trybom) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), has been observed on cowpea, Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. To understand the mechanism underpinning this behavior, we studied the responses of M. sjostedti to headspace volatiles from conspecifics in a four-arm olfactometer. Both male and female M. sjostedti were attracted to male, but not to female odor. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analyses revealed the presence of two distinct compounds in male M. sjostedti headspace, namely (R)-lavandulyl 3-methylbutanoate (major compound) and (R)-lavandulol (minor compound); by contrast, both compounds were only present in trace amounts in female headspace collections. A behavioral assay using synthetic compounds showed that male M. sjostedti was attracted to both (R)-lavandulyl 3-methylbutanoate and (R)-lavandulol, while females responded only to (R)-lavandulyl 3-methylbutanoate. This is the first report of a male-produced aggregation pheromone in the genus Megalurothrips. The bean flower thrips is the primary pest of cowpea, which is widely grown in sub-Saharan Africa. The attraction of male and female M. sjostedti to these compounds offers an opportunity to develop ecologically sustainable management methods for M. sjostedti in Africa.

Citation

Kirk. (2019). Characterization of Male-Produced Aggregation Pheromone of the Bean Flower Thrips Megalurothrips sjostedti (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). Journal of Chemical Ecology, 348-355. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-019-01054-8

• Acceptance Date: Feb 9, 2019
• Publication Date: Apr 1, 2019
• Journal: Journal of Chemical Ecology
• Print ISSN: 0098-0331
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Pages: 348-355
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-019-01054-8
• Keywords: Thrips pheromone, Megalurothrips sjostedti, Grain legumes, Olfactometer bioassay, Headspace analysis
• Publisher URL: http://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-019-01054-8