A revision of the American species of Prionus Geoffroy, 1762 is presented. Prionus (Neopolyarthron) Semenov, 1899 and Prionus (Antennalia) Casey, 1912 are synonymized with Prionus Geoffroy, 1762. Homaesthesis LeConte, 1873 is considered a true subgenus of Prionus. Prionus (Homaesthesis) rhodocerus Linsley, 1957 and Prionus (Homaesthesis) linsleyi Hovore, 1981 are synonymized with Prionus simplex (Casey, 1912). Prionus beauvoisi Lameere, 1915 and Prionus (Neopolyarthron) debilis Casey, 1924 are synonymized with P. imbricornis (Linnaeus, 1767). Prionus (Neopolyarthron) townsendi Casey, 1912 and Prionus (Neopolyarthron) curticollis Casey, 1912 are synonymized with Prionus mexicanus Bates, 1884. Prionus batesi Lameere, 1920 is synonymized with Prionus aztecus Casey, 1912. Prionus hintoni Linsley, 1935 is synonymized with Prionus flohri Bates, 1884. Prionus (Antennalia) fissicornis parviceps Casey, 1912 is excluded as the synonym of Prionus fissicornis Haldeman, 1846 and instead synonymized with P. imbricornis (Linnaeus, 1767). Prionus (Prionus) validiceps Casey, 1912 is excluded from the synonymy of P. pocularis Dalman, 1817, and synonymized with P. (P.) californicus Motschulsky, 1845. Prionus (Prionus) tumidus Casey, 1912 is excluded from the synonymy of P. heroicus Semenov, 1907, and synonymized with P. (P.) californicus. The lectotype female and the paralectotype male of Prionus (Prionus) tristis are excluded from the synonym of P. (P.) heroicus and transferred to the synonym of P. (P.) californicus; the paralectotype female of P. (P.) tristis is maintained in the synonymy of P. (P.) heroicus. Prionus (Prionus) fontinalis Casey, 1914 is excluded from the synonymy of P. (P.) heroicus and synonymized with P. (P.) californicus. Prionus simplex is formally excluded from the Cerambycidae fauna of Oklahoma, USA. Comments on the page, plate, and figure of publication of Cerambyx laticollis Drury, 1773 are presented. Prionus (Trichoprionus) Fragoso & Monné, 1982 is considered a genus different from Prionus. Hypoprionus is designated as a replacement name for Prionellus Casey, 1924 and Cerambyx laticollis Drury, 1773 is designated as the type species. Comments on the type localities of Prionus emarginatus, Prionus palparis Say, 1824, and Prionus (Neopolyarthron) aztecus Casey, 1912 are presented. Prionus (Homaesthesis) integer sensu Linsley (1962) and Chemsak (1996) is described as P. (H.) geminus, new species. Comments on the date of publication of Prionus fissicornis Haldeman, 1846 are presented. Comments on the status of the syntypes of Cerambyx imbricornis Linnaeus, 1767 are also presented. Lectotype specimens for Prionus flohri Bates, 1884, Prionus (Prionus) tristis, and Prionus lecontei Lameere, 1912 are designated. Comments on the number of specimens used in the original description of Prionus californicus are presented, and a lectotype for this species is designated. New state records are presented for Prionus emarginatus Say, 1824; P. imbricornis (Linnaeus, 1767); P. aztecus Casey, 1912; P. poultoni Lameere, 1912;...

We report the identification, synthesis, and field bioassays of a volatile, male-produced aggregation pheromone of a long-horned beetle, the banded alder borer, Rosalia funebris Mots. Headspace collections from males contained a major male-specific compound, (Z)-3-decenyl (E)-2-hexenoate, and several minor components, identified as (Z)-3-decenol, (Z)-3-nonenyl (E)-2-hexenoate, and (Z)-3-decenyl (E)-3-hexenoate. The antennae of both males and females responded strongly to (Z)-3-decenyl (E)-2-hexenoate. We collected significant numbers of adult R. funebris in field bioassays using traps baited with this compound. This pheromone structure is unprecedented in the literature of cerambycid pheromones and distinct from the more common diol/hydroxyketone pheromone motif of many other species of the diverse subfamily Cerambycinae. This is the first pheromone identified for a species in the tribe Rosaliini.

Recent work suggests that closely related cerambycid species often share pheromone components, or even produce pheromone blends of identical composition. However, little is known of the pheromones of species in the subfamily Prioninae. During field bioassays in California, males of three species in the prionine genus Tragosoma were attracted to 2,3-hexanediols, common components of male-produced aggregation pheromones of beetles in the subfamily Cerambycinae. We report here that the female-produced sex pheromone of Tragosoma depsarium “sp. nov. Laplante” is (2R,3R)-2,3-hex-anediol, and provide evidence from field bioassays and electro-antennography that the female-produced pheromone of both Tragosoma pilosicorne Casey and T depsarium “harrisi” LeConte may be (2S,3R)-2,3-hexanediol. Sexual dimorphism in the sculpting of the prothorax suggests that the pheromone glands are located in the prothorax of females. This is the second sex attractant pheromone structure identified from the subfamily Prioninae, and our results provide further evidence of pheromonal parsimony within the Cerambycidae, in this case extending across both subfamily and gender lines.

Host plant volatiles have been shown to strongly synergize the attraction of some longhorn beetle species (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) to their pheromones. This synergism is well documented among species that infest conifers, but less so for angiosperm-infesting species. To explore the extent of this phenomenon in the Cerambycidae, we first tested the responses of a cerambycid community to a generic pheromone blend in the presence or absence of chipped material from host plants as a source of host volatiles. In the second phase, blends of oak and conifer volatiles were reconstructed, and tested at low, medium, and high release rates with the pheromone blend. For conifer-infesting species in the subfamilies Spondylidinae and Lamiinae, conifer volatiles released at the high rate synergized attraction of some species to the pheromone blend. When comparing high-release rate conifer blend with high-release rate α-pinene as a single component, species responses varied, with Asemum nitidum LeConte being most attracted to pheromones plus α-pinene, whereas Neospondylis upiformis (Mannerheim) were most attracted to pheromones plus conifer blend and ethanol. For oak-infesting species in the subfamily Cerambycinae, with the exception of Phymatodes grandis Casey, which were most attracted to pheromones plus ethanol, neither synthetic oak blend nor ethanol increased attraction to pheromones. The results indicate that the responses to combinations of pheromones with host plant volatiles varied from synergistic to antagonistic, depending on beetle species. Release rates of host plant volatiles also were important, with some high release rates being antagonistic for oak-infesting species, but acting synergistically for conifer-infesting species.