The pine sawyer beetle, Monochamus galloprovincialis, is a pest of pine trees in Europe and North Africa. Previously considered a secondary pest of stressed and dying trees, it is now receiving considerable attention as a vector of the pine wood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, the causal agent of a lethal wilting disease in susceptible species of pines. Adult beetles are attracted to traps baited with a kairomone blend consisting of a host volatile, alpha-pinene, and two bark beetle pheromone components, ipsenol and 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol. More recently it has been shown that mature male M. galloprovincialis produce a pheromone that attracts mature females in a laboratory bioassay. Here, volatiles were collected from mature male and female M. galloprovincialis, and a compound produced specifically by mature males was identified as 2-undecyloxy-1-ethanol from its gas chromatographic retention times, its mass spectrum, and by comparison with synthetic standards. The naturally-derived and synthetic compounds elicited electroantennographic responses from both females and males. Sealed polyethylene vials and polyethylene sachets were shown to be effective dispensers with zero-order release, the latter giving a higher release rate than the former. In two field tests, multiple-funnel traps baited with synthetic 2-undecyloxy-1-ethanol caught both female and male M. galloprovincialis, with higher catches at the higher release rate. This compound also synergized the attractiveness of the kairomone blend, the combined mixture catching 80-140% more beetles than the sum of the catches to each bait separately and luring up to two beetles/trap/d in a moderate-density population. We conclude that 2-undecyloxy-1-ethanol is a male-produced aggregation pheromone of M. galloprovincialis. This is the first example of a sex-specific compound in the cerambycid subfamily Lamiinae with significant behavioral activity in the field at a range sufficient to make it a useful trap bait. The possible roles of this pheromone in the chemical ecology of M. galloprovincialis and its potential use in pine wilt disease management are discussed.

The pine sawyer Monochamus galloprovincialis is the European vector of the recently introduced pine wood nematode. This nematode is the causal organism of pine wilt disease, a serious tree killer in East Asia. Efficacious baits and traps to monitor and control this beetle are now required. The effect of bark beetle (Ips spp.) pheromone components, released individually (ipsenol) or in blends (ipsenol, ipsdienol, cis-verbenol and methyl-butenol), together with host volatiles (turpentine or a-pinene and ethanol) on M. galloprovincialis trap catches has been studied in Spain. A kairomonal response by male and female of M. galloprovincialis to Ips semiochemicals was found. Beetles were more attracted to host blends supplemented with bark beetle pheromones than to host volatiles alone. Ipsenol alone was attractive to pine sawyers, and was synergistic with a-pinene and ethanol. The full blend of the four Ips semiochemicals and the host compounds was highly attractive. Multiple-funnel traps were as effective as black cross-vane traps in capturing this insect when the escape of trapped beetles was prevented. Trapping of non-target bark beetle predators was also evaluated. The trogossitid Temnochila coerulea and clerid Thanasimus formicarius were kairomonally attracted to and killed in traps baited with bark beetle pheromones. These results suggest that effective monitoring of M. galloprovincialis would be possible by baiting any of these traps with host volatiles and Ips semiochemicals, but reduction of the lure components and trap modification to minimize impact on predators should be considered.

Aim, location Tomicus (Coleoptera, Scolytidae) species are some of the principal pests of Eurasian forest and are represented by three coexisting species in Spain, Tomicus piniperda (Linnaeus, 1758), Tomicus destruens (Wollaston, 1865) and Tomicus minor (Harting, 1834). The distribution of two taxa are unknown as they have until recently been considered separate species. Therefore, we model the potential distribution centres and establish the potential distribution limits of Tomicus species in Iberia. We also assess the effectiveness of different models by comparing predicted results with observed data. These results will have application in forest pest management.Methods Molecular and morphological techniques were used to identify species from 254 specimens of 81 plots. For each plot, a Geographical Information System was used to extract a set of 14 environmental (one topographic, six climatic) and biotic variables (seven host tree distributions). General Additive Models and Ecological Niche Factor Analysis models are applied for modelling and predicting the potential distribution of the three especies of Tomicus. ResultsThe results of both modelling methodologies are in agreement. Tomicus destruens is the predominant species in Spain, living in low and hot areas. Tomicus piniperda occurs in lower frequency and prefers wet and cold areas of northcentral Spain. We detected sympatric populations of T. destruens and T. piniperda in Northern coast of Spain, infesting mainly P. pinaster. Tomicus minor is the rarest species, and it occupies a fragmented distribution located in high and wet areas. The remarkable biotic variable is the distribution of P. sylvestris, incorporated into the models of T. destruens and T. piniperda. Main conclusionsThese results indicate that in wet areas of north-central Spain where T. piniperda occurs (and possibly the high altitudes of the southern mountains), T. destruens has a climatic distribution limit. In the northern border of this area, both species overlap their distributions and some co-occurrences were detected. Tomicus minor potentially occurs in high and wet fragmented areas.

Monochamus galloprovincialis Olivier (Col., Cerambycidae) is a vector of the pine wood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, causing the destructive pine wilt disease. An effective lure for monitoring and/or masstrapping would be of great interest in the management of this pine sawyer. Males and females of this species show an attractive kairomonal response to blends composed of four pheromone compounds used by Ips spp. bark beetles and two host volatiles from pines. This six-component lure is highly attractive but may to be too complex and costly for practical use as each component is released from a separate lure. The role of each component, ipsdienol, ipsenol, cisverbenol, methyl butenol, a-pinene and ethanol as attractants for M. galloprovincialis was field tested in Spain to obtain a simpler but equally effective bait. Ipsenol was confirmed as the strongest kairomonal signal to M. galloprovincialis synergizing response to a-pinene by 95 times. The addition of methyl butenol to this blend doubled the number of males and females trapped. On the other hand, neither ipsdienol, cis-verbenol nor ethanol improved the results when incorporated into the above three-component blend. A lure consisting of ipsenol, methyl butenol and a-pinene may be very cost-efficient in operational monitoring or mass trapping of M. galloprovincialis. Three potentially repellent candidates, ())verbenone, methyl cyclohexenone and trans-conophthorin, were also tested against the attractive threecomponent bait. trans-Conophthorin significantly reduced male catches of M. galloprovincialis; methyl cyclohexenone had no effect. Verbenone significantly enhanced the response of females to the attractive combination of a-pinene, ipsenol and methyl butenol.

The bacterium Xylella fastidiosa (Xf) is an invasive insect-borne pathogen, which causes lethal diseases to important crops including olives, citrus, almonds and grapes as well as numerous forest, ornamental, and uncultivated plants. Outbreaks of Xf-related plant diseases are currently occurring in the Mediterranean region, causing substantial losses to various agricultural sectors. Several models have recently been published to identify which regions are at highest risk in Europe; however, such models did not consider the insect vectors, which constitute the key driver of short-range Xf spread. We fitted bioclimatic species distribution models to depict the macroclimatic preferences of the meadow spittlebug Philaenus spumarius L. (1978) (Hemiptera: Aphrophoridae), the major epidemiologically relevant vector currently responsible for Xf spread in the Europe. Many regions of Western Europe and Mediterranean basin are predicted by models as highly climatically suitable for this vector, including all regions where severe Xf have occurred so far. Conversely, the driest and warmest areas of the Mediterranean basin are predicted as little suitable for P. spumarius. Models forecast that agricultural-important parts of the southern Mediterranean area might experience a substantial decrease in climatic suitability for P. spumarius by the period 2040–2060. Areas predicted as highly suitable just for the bacterium but not optimal for this vector are apparently still free of severe Xf outbreaks, suggesting that climate tolerances of P. spumarius might partly explain the current spatial pattern of Xf outbreaks in Europe and should always be considered in further risk assessments.