Defensive volatile secretions of two diplopod species attract the carrion ball roller scarab Canthon morsei (Coleoptera : Scarabaeidae)
2007
Bedoussac, Laurent | Favila, Mario E | Lopez, Remedios M | Institut National Agronomique Paris Grignon (INAPG) | Instituto de Ecología | Universidad Veracruzana
International audience
Show more [+] Less [-]English. We report field and laboratory evidence indicating that the defensive compounds secreted by the millipedes Amplinus bitumidus (Diplopoda: Polydesmida) and Anadenobolus putealis (Diplopoda: Spirobolida) attract the carrion scarab Canthon morsei (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae). In a Mexican tropical rain forest, C. morsei was mostly caught in pitfall traps baited with the carcasses of both millipede species. Only a few beetles were attracted to fish carrion. Experimental evidence indicates that C. morsei is attracted to freshly dead millipedes. Benzaldehyde and HCN were identified from Amplinus bitumidus; but 2-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone (toluquinone) and 2-methoxy-3-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone from Anadenobolus putealis. Benzaldehyde attracted significantly more C. morsei individuals than fish meat, or millipedes of both species did after rinsing in hexane. This is the first report of Polydesmida attracting dung beetles.
Show more [+] Less [-]AGROVOC Keywords
Bibliographic information
This bibliographic record has been provided by Institut national de la recherche agronomique