Anatomical site of pheromone accumulation and temporal pattern of pheromone emission in the ambrosia beetle, Megaplatypus mutatus. . In press.

GATTI LIGUORI, PABLO, ZERBA EDUARDO AND GONZALEZ AUDINO, PAOLA

PHYSIOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY (PRINT)

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Año: 2011 vol. 36 p. 201 - 207

0307-6962

Megaplatypus mutatus (Chapuis) is a native South American ambrosia beetle that attacks live hardwood trees (e.g., Populus spp.), causing important economic losses to commercial plantations. Male beetles release the main components of the sex pheromone, sulcatol and sulcatone, while colonizing suitable hosts.  The hindgut is shown to be the anatomical site of pheromone accumulation within males, the enantiomeric composition of sulcatol in this tissue is 99%-(+) and sulcatol is first detectable in this tissue on days 1-2 after gallery initiation.   Peak accumulation of sulcatol occurs on days 5-12 after gallery initiation. Trace quantities of sulcatone are also observed during the same period.  Both pheromones components are present in male emissions from three host species (Populus x canadensis, Populus alba, and Casuarina stricta)  between days 2-12 after gallery initiation, but sulcatone is always present in low concentrations. The temporal patterns of sulcatol and sulcatone accumulation or storage in male M. mutatus correspond to the temporal patterns of emission.