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Title: Attractant pheromone of the neotropical species Neomegalotomus parvus (Westwood)(Heteroptera: Alydidae)

Author
item LAUMANN, RAUL ALBERTO - Embrapa Genetic Resources
item BORGES, MIGUEL - Embrapa Genetic Resources
item Aldrich, Jeffrey
item Khrimian, Ashot
item BLASSIOLI MORAES, MARIA CAROLINA - Embrapa Genetic Resources

Submitted to: Psyche
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/23/2012
Publication Date: 7/4/2012
Citation: Laumann, R., Borges, M., Aldrich, J.R., Khrimian, A., Blassioli Moraes, M. 2012. Attractant pheromone of the neotropical species Neomegalotomus parvus (Westwood)(Heteroptera: Alydidae). Psyche. 1(1):27-35.

Interpretive Summary: Sucking insects are frequently pests of seed crops, and are particularly difficult to control because they are highly mobile and difficult to detect. One such pest is the so-called broad-headed bug, Neomegalotomus parvus, which is often an important pest of common bean and soybean in South America. Growers in this region generally spray insecticides, often unnecessarily on a calendar basis, in an effort to prevent damage from the bug. Improved population monitoring using traps baited with specific lures for this pest would enable growers to spray only when and where needed, thus reducing the hazard of insecticide exposure to humans and environmental contamination. The present study describes the discovery of an attractant (i.e. pheromone) for this bean bug that, when used to bait monitoring traps in the field, should lead to much more precise timing of insecticide applications and more efficacious control of the pest. This information is also valuable as a guide to researchers worldwide who are trying to devise means to deal with these kinds of bugs, which are immune to the currently available genetically modified crops.

Technical Abstract: The Neotropical broad-headed bug, Neomegalotomus parvus (Westwood), is adapted to various leguminous crops, and is considered a pest in common bean and soybean. The chemical communication of this species was studied in order to identify an attractant pheromone. Males and females of N. parvus produce several short chain esters and acids, and their antennae showed electrophisiological responses to five of these compounds, three common to both sexes (hexyl butanoate, 4-methylhexyl butanoate and hexyl hexanoate), and two female-specific compounds (4-methylhexyl penatnoate and hexyl pentanoate). Both aeration extracts of females and a solution containing five synthetic compounds mimicking the natural blend were attractive to males and females N. parvus in a laboratory bioassay. Aspects of the chemical ecology of broad-headed bugs and the possibility to use pheromone-baited traps in the field for monitoring are discussed.