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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 #318836
Title: Semiochemistry of Pentatomoidea

Author
item Weber, Donald
item Khrimian, Ashot
item BLASSIOLI-MORAES, MARIA CAROLINA - Embrapa
item MILLAR, JOCELYN - University Of California Agriculture And Natural Resources (UCANR)

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/17/2015
Publication Date: 2/16/2018
Citation: Weber, D.C., Khrimian, A., Blassioli-Moraes, M., Millar, J.G. 2018. Semiochemistry of Pentatomoidea. In: McPherson, J.E., editor. Invasive Stink Bugs and Related Species (Pentatomoidea): Biology, Higher Systematics, Semiochemistry, and Management. Boca Raton, FL. CRC Press. p. 677-725.

Interpretive Summary: Pentatomoidea (stink bugs and related families of insects) are important in virtually all ecosystems of the world. Some species are beneficial predators on other insects, but many stink bugs are pests whose importance has increased in recent years because of the replacement of broad-spectrum insecticides with more selective suppression tactics for control of other key pests, such as the deployment of Bt-transgenic traits in field crops, use of mating disruption and insect growth regulators in control of tree fruit pests. Semiochemicals (chemicals used in communication between organisms) are important as pheromones which allow bugs of the same species to communicate with one another, and also as allomones (typically stinky chemicals repelling bugs’ natural enemies) and kairomones (attracting bugs’ natural enemies or other species). All species of stink bugs for which pheromones have been identified have male-produced pheromones which attract females, and in many cases also males and nymphs. These pheromones can potentially be exploited for monitoring and possibly in attract-and-kill or other pest management tactics for control of bugs. Researchers and pest-management stakeholders such as pheromone producers and users will be interested in this comprehensive update of stink bug semiochemicals, to see which pheromones have been discovered and how these may be useful in selective pest managment for this important pest group.

Technical Abstract: We review in this chapter the semiochemicals identified from species in the true bug superfamily Pentatomoidea, which includes among others the families Pentatomidae, Acanthosomatidae, Plataspididae, Scutelleridae, Cydnidae, and Tessaratomidae. The review includes sex and alarm pheromones, allomones (defensive chemicals), kairomones used by parasitoids and predators of stink bugs as well as those involved in tritrophic interactions in which Pentatomoid bugs are herbivores or predators. Pentatomoidea are important in virtually all ecosystems of the world, and as with other superfamilies of true bugs, many are herbivorous. Other species are predators on other insects, as well as feeding on plants at least occasionally. Many stink bugs are pests whose importance has increased in recent years because of the replacement of broad-spectrum insecticides with more selective suppression tactics for control of other key pests, such as the deployment of Bt-transgenic traits in field crops, use of mating disruption and insect growth regulators in control of tree fruit pests, and Lepidoptera- and Homoptera-selective control tactics used in vegetable crops. All species of stink bugs for which pheromones have been identified (about 45) have male-produced pheromones which attract females, and in many cases also males and nymphs. Of these, approximately half are sex pheromones (attracting females only), and half are aggregation pheromones (attracting both sexes and, where tested, nymphs). In the review we describe identifications and syntheses of all pheromones and discuss feasibility of their practical applications. Defensive chemicals are commonly used by natural enemies (hymenopterous egg parasitoids, tachinid parasitoids mainly of adults, and some specialized predators) as kairomones to detect the hosts or prey, and herbivore-induced plant volatiles are also implicated in tritrophic interactions. These pheromones can potentially be exploited for monitoring and possibly in attract-and-kill or other tactics for control of bugs, but are currently used mainly for monitoring only a few important species. We assess the prospects for expanded use in pest management in the future.