Evidence for male-produced aggregation pheromone in American palm weevil,Rhynchophorus palmarum (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae):

Abstract

Field trapping of the American palm weevil (APW),Rhynchophorus palmarum, showed that the combination of caged male APWs and palm stem was much more attractive to APWs of both sexes than palm stem alone. Caged female APWs did not enhance the attractiveness of the palm. Caged APWs without palm stem were not attractive. Virgin laboratory-bred males were highly attractive to APWs of both sexes in a two-choice pitfall olfactometer, whereas virgin laboratory-bred females were not. Adsorbenttrapped volatiles from virgin laboratory-bred males reproduced the effect of living males, giving evidence for a male-produced aggregation pheromone in this species. Wild-mated APWs of both sexes were as responsive to the aggregation pheromone as virgin laboratory-bred APWs. This is the first record of chemical communication in this species. These results have prompted investigations into the chemical identification of the aggregation pheromone.

Use of infochemicals in Pest Management with Special Reference to the Banana Weevil, Cosmopolites sordidus (Germar) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

“…Green leaf volatiles have a synergistic effect on the attraction of the boll weevil to its pheromone (Dickens, 1984). The combination of R. palmarum weevils and palm stem was attractive to both sexes of this species, and males without host material were not attractive to either sex in field trials (Rochat et al, 1991). Attraction of palm weevils by the synthetic pheromone rhynchophorol is synergised by the addition of host material, such as palm stem or sugarcane , or by host odour compounds, such as ethyl acetate (Jaffe et al, 1993).…”

“…These are often produced by males. Maleproduced aggregation pheromones have been demonstrated for a number of weevil species such as Rhynchophorus palmarum (L) (Rochat et al, 1991), R. cruentatus (Weissling et al, 1993), R. phoenicis (Fabricus) , Metamasius hemipterus (L) (Giblin-Davis et al, 1994a), C. sordidus (Budenberg et al, 1993a), and Sitophilus spp. (Walgenbach et al, 1983).…”

Feromônios de agregação em curculionidae (insecta: coleoptera) e sua implicação taxonômica

“…57 Posteriormente Rochat e colaboradores 58 identificaram a substância 28a (Figura 3) como o principal composto responsável pela atratividade de machos de R. palmarum aos coespecíficos. Este composto foi denominado rincoforol.…”

Mass Trapping and Classical Biological Control of Rhynchophorus palmarum L. 1794 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). A hypothesis based in morphological evidences.

“…These results confirm previous reports that sugarcane fermentation volatiles are attractive to palm weevils (DiegaDo & Moreno 1986) and according to Jaffe et al (1993) kariomones perceived by this weevil stimulate pheromone production. In addition, traps baited only with aggregation pheromones or kairomones are not very attractive to palm weevils, but in combination synergize attractiveness 8-20 fold to R. palmarum and other Rhynchophorinae (Moura et al 1989;rochat et al, 1991a;oehlschlager et al 2002). C. sordidus capture probably is relates to R. palmarum male-produced aggregation pheromones is effective for many species in the subfamily Rhynchophorinae as well as C. sordidus (buDenberg et al 1993).…”