Kairomonal response of the parasitoid Anagyrus spec. nov. near pseudococci to the sex pheromone of the vine mealybug

Abstract

The occurrence of a kairomonal response of the parasitoid Anagyrus spec. nov. near pseudococci (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) to (+)‐(1R,3R)‐cis‐2,2‐dimethyl‐3‐isopropenyl‐cyclobutanemethanol acetate (PcA, namely, planococcyl acetate) and (S)‐(+)‐lavandulyl senecioate (LS), the respective female sex pheromones of its hosts, the citrus mealybug, Planococcus citri (Risso) and the vine mealybug, Planococcus ficus (Signoret) (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae) was investigated. Attraction to the pheromones was tested by employing pheromone traps in field trials and by static air olfactometer bioassays in the laboratory. Female wasps showed a significant response to LS, in both field and olfactometer experiments. No significant response was registered to the sex pheromone of P. citri. Despite the similarity between the structures of LS and its analogue (S)‐(+)‐lavandulyl isovalerate (LI), no significant response to the latter compound was observed. It seems that differences between the structures of the carboxylate moiety of the respective molecules (LS and LI) markedly affect the kairomonal attractiveness to the parasitoid. The kairomonal response of Anagyrus spec. nov. near pseudococci was neither influenced by the host habitat nor by the host species on which it developed. This suggested innate behaviour of Anagyrus spec. nov. near pseudococci, possibly derived from evolutionary relationships between the parasitoid and P. ficus. The practical implications of the results are discussed.

Sex pheromone of a coccoid insect with sexual and asexual lineages: fate of an ancestrally essential sexual signal in parthenogenetic females

“…Nitrogen is not included in coccoid pheromones but is necessary to operate their biosynthetic cascades. Moreover, pheromones are often perceived not only by conspecific mates, but also by natural enemies as kairomones: some coccoid pheromones are known to recruit predators and parasitoids [18,68,69]. These potential negative effects would have driven the loss of pheromone production in the asexual D. brevipes after the acquisition of parthenogenetic reproduction.…”

Novel Approaches for the Management of Mealybug Pests

“…ficus. Franco et al (2008c) showed, in light of both field and olfactometer experiments, that the females of the encyrtid Anagyrus spec. nov. near pseudococci, a major parasitoid of both the vine mealybug, Pl.…”

Using a kairomone-based attracting system to enhance biological control of mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) by Anagyrus sp. near pseudococci (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) in Sicilian vineyards

“…More recently, the VM sex pheromone (S)-(+)-lavandulyl senecioate (LS) proved to attract the females of the VM parasitoid A. sp. near pseudococci sensu Triapitsyn et al (2007) in field and under laboratory conditions (Franco et al, 2008b). This kairomonal response is an innate behavior trait (Franco et al, 2008b) and LS was shown to increase parasitism rates of mealybugs by A. sp.…”

“…near pseudococci sensu Triapitsyn et al (2007) in field and under laboratory conditions (Franco et al, 2008b). This kairomonal response is an innate behavior trait (Franco et al, 2008b) and LS was shown to increase parasitism rates of mealybugs by A. sp. near pseudococci in Mediterranean citrus orchards (Franco et al, 2008a, unpublished data).…”

“…In several grape-growing areas around the world, mealybugs (Hemiptera : Pseudococcidae) are considered serious insect pests on grapevine (Sforza et al, 2003;Walton et al, 2004;Daane et al, 2006;Buonocore et al, 2008;Franco et al, 2008b;Lo et al, 2009). Mealybugs produce honeydew which supports the development of the black sooty mold fungi.…”