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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Invasive Insect Biocontrol & Behavior Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #310505
Title: (1R,2S,5R,8R)-Iridodial and Z,E-nepetalactol: first long-range 4 chemical attractants for antlions (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae)

Author
item ZHANG, QING-HE - Sterling International, Inc
item ZHOU, GUIJI - Sterling International, Inc
item HOOVER, DOREEN - Sterling International, Inc
item MICHAELSON, NEIL - Sterling International, Inc
item BRYANT, PAUL - Sterling International, Inc
item MARGARYAN, ARNEBAK - Sterling International, Inc
item Chauhan, Kamlesh
item ALDRICH, JEFFREY - University Of California
item SCHNEIDMILLER, RODNEY - Sterling International, Inc

Submitted to: Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/22/2014
Publication Date: 1/6/2015
Citation: Zhang, Q., Zhou, G., Hoover, D.R., Michaelson, N.J., Bryant, P., Margaryan, A., Chauhan, K.R., Aldrich, J., Schneidmiller, R. 2015. (1R,2S,5R,8R)-Iridodial and Z,E-nepetalactol: first long-range 4 chemical attractants for antlions (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae). Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 2:80.

Interpretive Summary: Insect pests cause billions of dollars of damage to crops each year and controlling them adds greatly to production costs. Biologically-based insect control using beneficial insects reduces damage to crops and saves farmers time and money. We identified attractants for antlion an important predator of ants from catnip oil. The mixture of isolated catnip component and its derivative exhibited strong attraction of antlion when applied to lures in the field studies. Identification of antlion attractants provides a new opportunity for developing a potential pheromone-based monitoring and management strategy of the ants. Farmers practicing integrated pest management may use this research.

Technical Abstract: e synthetic green lacewing pheromone compound, (1R,2S,5R,8R)-iridodial, strongly attracted adult males and females of the North American antlion, Dendroleon speciosus Banks, and an aphid sex pheromone component, Z,E-nepetalactol, was weakly attractive to D. speciosus adults. Iridodial and Z,E-nepetalactol also elicited strong and weak electroantennogram detector (EAD) responses, respectively, in D. speciosus adults. The male specific abdominal glands of D. speciosus are presumably pheromone glands, but this supposition awaits verification.