New Sex Attractant Composition for the Click Beetle Agriotes proximus: Similarity to the Pheromone of Agriotes lineatus

Abstract

While testing traps baited with a blend of geranyl octanoate and geranyl butanoate (pheromone components previously identified for Agriotes lineatus, Coleoptera, Elateridae) in Portugal and Bulgaria, large numbers of the closely related Agriotes proximus were captured. In the literature, two different compounds, (E,E)-farnesyl acetate and neryl isovalerate had previously been identified as pheromone components of A. proximus. Subsequent field tests, conducted in several European countries, revealed that A. proximus was weakly attracted to geranyl butanoate on its own, while A. lineatus was weakly attracted to geranyl octanoate on its own. However, the largest catches for both species were observed with a blend of both compounds. No A. proximus was caught in traps baited with the blend of (E,E)-farnesyl acetate and neryl isovalerate at any of the test sites. In electroantennographic studies, antennae of male A. proximus and A. lineatus both gave greater responses to geranyl butanoate than to geranyl octanoate, suggesting that the perception of these two compounds was similar for both species. A 1:1 blend of geranyl octanoate and geranyl butanoate can be used as a bait in traps for the detection and monitoring of both A. lineatus and A. proximus in many European countries.

Agriotes proximus and A. lineatus (Coleoptera: Elateridae): a comparative study on the pheromone composition and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene sequence

“…These results were unexpected, since, in chemical studies, this compound was detected only in trace amounts in female pheromone glands Yatsynin et al 1996b;Tóth et al 2003). Similarly, A. proximus males showed the strongest attraction to the 1:1 blend in the field (Tóth et al 2008). In contrast in this present study, geranyl octanoate was detected in high amounts, and geranyl butanoate was present only in traces (less than 0.1% of geranyl octanoate) in gland extracts of the females.…”

“…In previous field trials that tested different ratios of geranyl butanoate and geranyl octanoate, the greatest catches of A. lineatus were obtained with a blend containing relatively large amounts of geranyl butanoate (ratio of 1:1) (Tóth et al 2008). These results were unexpected, since, in chemical studies, this compound was detected only in trace amounts in female pheromone glands Yatsynin et al 1996b;Tóth et al 2003).…”

“…In electroantennographic (EAG) studies, testing synthetic click beetle pheromone components, antennal responses of male A. lineatus and A. proximus showed a very similar pattern. In dose-response tests, antennae of males of both species gave greater responses to geranyl butanoate than to geranyl octanoate, even at low doses (Tóth et al 2008).…”

“…Catches of A. proximus were unexpected because two very different compounds, (E,E)-farnesyl acetate and neryl isovalerate, had previously been identified as pheromone components of a Russian population of A. proximus (Yatsynin et al 1980(Yatsynin et al , 1996b. Subsequent field experiments, testing different ratios of geranyl butanoate and geranyl octanoate revealed that the largest catches for both species were observed with a 1:1 blend of geranyl butanoate and geranyl octanoate (Tóth et al 2008). In electroantennographic (EAG) studies, testing synthetic click beetle pheromone components, antennal responses of male A. lineatus and A. proximus showed a very similar pattern.…”

Control methods and monitoring of Agriotes wireworms (Coleoptera: Elateridae)

“…According to Staudacher et al (2011a), PCR analyses showed a high similarity between A. lineatus and A. proximus. Additionally, both species were found to be attracted to the same pheromone composition (Tóth et al 2008, Vuts et al 2012. Agriotes obscurus, A. lineatus and A. sputator have also become established in some parts of Canada and the USA.…”