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Title: Odor Preference, Feeding, Survival, and Reproductive Fitness of the Invasive Larger Grain Borer Prostephanus truncatus (Horn) on Acorns of Three Native North America Oak Species

Author
item MING, QINGLEI - Kansas State University
item HETHERINGTON, MATTHEW - Kansas State University
item Kessler-Mathieu, Melanie
item MATTIONI, BRUNA - Kansas State University
item Tilley, Michael
item WANG, DONGHAI - Kansas State University
item Morrison Iii, William
item Campbell, James
item ZHU, KUN YAN - Kansas State University
item Scully, Erin

Submitted to: Journal of Chemical Ecology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/19/2025
Publication Date: 11/27/2025
Citation: Ming, Q., Hetherington, M.C., Kessler-Mathieu, M.S., Mattioni, B., Tilley, M., Wang, D., Morrison III, W.R., Campbell, J.F., Zhu, K., Scully, E.D. 2025. Odor Preference, Feeding, Survival, and Reproductive Fitness of the Invasive Larger Grain Borer Prostephanus truncatus (Horn) on Acorns of Three Native North America Oak Species. Journal of Chemical Ecology. 118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jspr.2026.103086.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jspr.2026.103086

Interpretive Summary: The larger grain borer, Prostephanus truncatus, is an invasive pest of stored maize. Although its range is currently limited to Mexico in North America, it has the potential to expand its range into the southern US and is thus, considered an insect species of concern for US agriculture. Although it is predominantly considered a storage pest, it feeds and reproduces on alternative non-grain foods that are common in forests and prairie landscapes, which could facilitate invasion and range expansion. We explored suitability of acorns from three different oak species (bur, black, and red oak) to serve as food sources and reproductive hosts for larger grain borers. We found that larger grain borers were significantly attracted to odors from all three acorns, but that bur oaks were the most attractive among the three. Interestingly, odors from bur oaks were even more attractive to larger grain borers than maize, with the compounds 3-hepten-2-one and 2-(5-methyl-furan-2-yl)-propionaldehyde being uniquely associated with bur oak. Moreover, feeding damage was more significant on bur oak acorns compared to red and black oak and larger grain borer was only able to reproduce on bur oak. These findings suggest that bur oaks produce attractive volatiles that could be used in trap lures to improve detection in the field. In addition, it suggests that bur oak acorns can facilitate the establishment and reproduction of larger grain borers into areas where bur oak trees are common, including the southeastern US.

Technical Abstract: The larger grain borer, Prostephanus truncatus (Horn) is an invasive pest on stored grains but can also exploit non-grain food sources. Currently, this species has a limited distribution in North America but possesses the potential to further expand its range across the continent. Alternative non-grain foods could play a role in range expansion and previous research has shown that acorns can be a suitable food for the lesser grain borer Rhyzopertha dominica (F.), a closely related grain pest. We assessed the odor preference of P. truncatus for maize, wheat, and acorns from black oak (Quercus velutina), red oak (Quercus rubra), and bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) compared to maize and wheat, and analyzed the volatile organic compound (VOC) profiles of the acorns. Further, we measured P. truncatus feeding and reproduction on these acorns. Results demonstrated that P. truncatus responded to volatiles of each acorn species but responded most positively to bur oak acorns. Interestingly, bur oak acorns were also more attractive than maize, its main host grain. VOC profiles showed that two compounds emitted from bur oak acorns, 3-hepten-2-one and 2-(5-methyl-furan-2-yl)-propionaldehyde, were unique compared to other treatments, which may be important for the odor preference. Prostephanus truncatus also preferred to feed on bur oak acorns over other oak species. Bur oak was the only acorn species tested in which F1 progeny were detected. These results suggest that P. truncatus exhibits evolutionary plasticity that enables it to survive on acorns in the absence of grains, indicating an elevated risk of landscape-level invasion by this pest in North America.