Isolation and identification of attractants from the pupae of three lepidopteran species for the parasitoid Chouioia cunea Yang

Abstract

BACKGROUND Chouioia cunea Yang (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) is a parasitic wasp and natural enemy of several lepidopteran pests during their pupal stage. The volatiles from pupae of three hosts, Hyphantria cunea (Arctiidae), Antheraea pernyi (Saturniidae) and Lymantria dispar (Erebidae), were analyzed and compared to elucidate the chemical cues used by C. cunea to locate its hosts. RESULTS The attraction of C. cunea to H. cunea pupae has no obvious association with the types of plant leaves consumed by H. cunea before pupation. C. cunea exhibited the strongest attraction to the pupae of H. cunea, followed by those of A. pernyi and L. dispar based on behavioral experiments. Gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry and GC‐electroantennography (GC‐EAD) analyses showed that these three host pupae consisted of essentially the same active volatile components but at different relative amounts. Active components derived from these pupae by GC‐EAD were alkanes from C12 to C27, and C. cunea showed different levels of attraction to different single compounds. CONCLUSION Host location by C. cunea primarily depends on common compounds emanating from the pupae of several host species. The relative amount of each component varies across host species, guiding host preferences by C. cunea. Optimal blends of several components were identified. Understanding the chemical cues used by C. cunea to locate its host could increase the possibility of developing attractants for parasitic wasps and subsequently increasing the parasitism rate of C. cunea on various hosts. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry

The response of citrus plants to the broad mitePolyphagotarsonemus latus(Banks) (Acari: Tarsonemidae)

“…These HIPVs, which have been reported in other plants (Sanchez et al, 2012;Zhou et al, 2015), are usually exploited by arthropods in plant selection (Bernasconi et al, 1998;Halitschke et al, 2008). Indeed, 1-Dodecene has been described as repellent of phytophagous insects but as attractant of natural enemies (Li et al, 2020). The production of this volatile increased in the two Citrus spp.…”

Parasitoids as taxonomists: how does the parasitoid Chouioia cunea distinguish between a host and a non‐host?

“…In a previous study, we showed that 1‐dodecene was a strong attractant of C. cunea females. Moreover, we identified 1‐dodecene in three host species of C. cunea , such as the pupae of Hyphantria cunea , A. pernyi and L. dispar 24 . The volatile emissions of some flowers contain 1‐dodecene, 27 which might attract pollinators and behave as a synomone, benefiting both the emitter and the receiver.…”

“…Moreover, we identified 1-dodecene in three host species of C. cunea, such as the pupae of Hyphantria cunea, A. pernyi and L. dispar. 24 The volatile emissions of some flowers contain 1-dodecene, 27 which might attract pollinators and behave as a synomone, benefiting both the emitter and the receiver. Sometimes 1-dodecene is an insect repellant in some plants, acting as an allomone that only benefits the emitter.…”

“…Based on our previous study, 24 six electroantennographic detection (EAD) active components were found in the host pupae of Hyphantria cunea . In this study, GC–MS analysis was conducted to compare Hyphantria cunea to pupae of Helicoverpa armigera , S. exigua , and S. frugiperda and determine whether they share the six volatile chemicals.…”

“…In our previous studies, we analyzed the volatiles of Hyphantria cunea and other host pupae (Antheraea pernyi (Saturniidae) and Lymantria dispar (Erebidae)) using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography-electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD) and found that six compounds (1-dodecene, nonadecane, hexadecane, heptadecane, heneicosane, heptacosane and pentadecane) released by host pupae play an important role in attracting C. cunea. 24 However, whether other hosts also emit these six compounds is still unclear. Besides, it is also unclear whether there is a presence, absence, or concentration difference between natural non-hosts and hosts among the six compounds.…”