Age and time related pheromone production in coffee leafminer Leucoptera coffeella Guérin-Méneville (Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae)

Abstract

Este estudo foi feito para determinar o padrão de produção de feromônio sexual em glândulas de fêmeas virgens de Leucoptera coffeella como uma medida indireta do comportamento de chamamento. O composto principal, 5,9-dimetilpentadecano (1) foi extraído de glândulas de feromônio de fêmeas virgens para ser usado em dois experimentos. No primeiro foi investigado o efeito do tempo na produção do feromônio (extratos de 10 fêmeas de dois dias de idade em intervalos de duas horas) e no outro foi avaliado o efeito da idade das fêmeas na produção de feromônio (10 fêmeas com idade entre 1 e 5 dias após a emergência). Os extratos hexânicos contendo 5 ng µL -1 de 5,9-dimetilheptadecano (2) como padrão interno foram analisados por CG. As fêmeas tiveram as maiores quantidades de feromônio nas últimas quatro horas da escotofase e nas duas primeiras horas da fotofase. Fêmeas de um dia de idade produziram as maiores quantidades de feromônio na glândula.This study was undertaken to access the pattern of sex pheromone production in glands of virgin females of Leucoptera coffeella as an indirect measure of the calling behavior. The major compound, 5,9-dimethylpentadecane (1) was extracted from pheromone glands of virgin females to be used in two experiments. The first one investigated the effect of the pheromone production time by females (extracts of 10 females with age of two days were carried out at 2-hour intervals). The other experiment evaluated the effect of female age on pheromone production (10 females with age ranged from 1 to 5 days after emergence class were used). Hexane extracts were made with 5 ng µL -1 of 5,9-dimethylheptadecane (2) as internal standard and analyzed by GC. Females had the highest amount of pheromone at the last four hours in the dark and the two first hours in the light period. One-day old females produced the highest amount of pheromone in the glands.Keywords: Leucoptera coffeella, Lepidoptera, sex pheromone, 5,9-dimethylpentadecane, pheromone titer, coffee leaf miner IntroductionCoffee leafminer (CLM) Leucoptera coffeella (Guérin-Méneville) is an important and widely distributed pest among the main coffee-producing countries in the Neotropical region. 1,2 In Brazil, it is considered a key pest of the coffee plant and causes losses up to 50% in production, due to the loss of photosynthetic area as a consequence of necrosis of the leaf surface, and early leaf fall when larval infestation is high. 2 The inclusion of CLM sex pheromone in programs of integrated pest management of coffee through population monitoring has been pointed out by Precetti and Parra. 3 The sex pheromone was previously identified as 5,9-dimethylpentadecane (1). 4 Several aspects of pheromone biology may change significantly with age. In some species, most females initiate calling within 24 h of emergence, 5,6 while in other individuals vary considerably in the age at which calling starts. 7,8 In several species, pheromone titer in the gland changes both with age and time during the scotophase or photophase. [9][10][11][12] To a...

Chemical Analysis of Female Volatiles and Field Response of the Coffee Leafminer Moth (Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae) to Stereoisomers of Its Major Sex Pheromone Component

“…We also obtained a chromatogram with a similar retention time to that reported recently by Lima et al (2008), who reported 5,9-dimethylpentadecane as the major compound extracted from pheromone glands of virgin females. Our results agree with those of Lima et al (2008) in that 5,9-dimethylpentadecane is the major component released by L. coffeella females. The Mexican population of L. coffeella released 5,9-dimethylpentadecane and 5,9-dimethylhexadecane.…”

From Basic to Applied Knowledge: Larval Development and Sex Morphology to Control <em>Leucoptera coffeella</em> (Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae)

“…Semiochemicals can be used to alter the natural reproductive behavior of insects, decreasing pest population levels (Cardé andMinks 1995, Dantas et al 2020). The CLM sexual pheromone was used to determine the pattern of pheromone production by females, as an indirect measure of the behavior calling for sexual intercourse (Lima et al 2008). However, although several previous studies have used adult sexing, none has clearly explained how to differentiate males from females, so the methodology of sexing males and females has remained unclear.…”

A Comprehensive Review of the Coffee Leaf Miner Leucoptera Coffeella (Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae), With Special Regard to Neotropical Impacts, Pest Management and Control

“…The female production pattern of 5,9-dimethylpentadecane is related to the period of the day and the time after adult emerging from pupa [73]. The results in virgin females showed that the higher amounts of pheromone were produced in the period comprised between 4h before and 2h after dawn and in 1day-aged females.…”