Efficacy of Carpophilus aggregation pheromones on nine species in northeastern Ohio, and identification of the pheromone of C. brachypterus

Aggregation pheromones for Carpophilus species were field tested at a site with a rich nitidulid fauna in Ohio during the summers of 1992 and 1993. The pheromones used were blends identified for Carpophilus antiquus, C. brachypterus, C. freemani, C. hemipterus, C. lugubris, C. mutilatus and C. obsoletus. Each pheromone was used in conjunction with whole wheat bread dough, an effective co-attractant. The pheromone of C. brachypterus was identified during the course of this study and was also tested; males emitted a 100:6:11:4:3 blend of (2E,4E,6E,8E)-3,5,7-trimethyl-2,4,6,8-decatetraene, (2E,4E,6E,8E)-3,5,7-trimethyl-2,4,6,8-undecatetraene, (2E,4E,6E,8E)-7-ethyl-3,5-dimethyl-2,4,6,8-decatetraene, (3E,5E,7E,9E)-4,6,8-trimethyl-3,5,7,9-undecatetraene and (2E,4E,6E,8E)-7-ethyl-3,5-dimethyl-2,4,6,8-undecatetraene. All species were attracted to their own pheromones with the exception of C. obsoletus, which was not present in this area. Strong mutual cross attraction was observed between C. brachypterus and C. hemipterus. C. lugubris responded to the pheromones of C. obsoletus and C. hemipterus and, more weakly, to those of C. freemani and C. brachypterus; C freemani responded slightly to the pheromone of C. mutilatus; and C. antiquus responded to the pheromone of C. lugubris. In most cases, cross attraction was related to the species involved sharing pheromone components. For C. antiquus, however, the response to the C. lugurbris pheromone was apparently kairomonal. C. corticinus, C, marginatus, C. marginellus and C. sayi, for which pheromones were not known, were attracted to the pheromone of C. lugubris and in some cases to other pheromones. Significant numbers of Colopterus spp. responded to the blends for C. lugubris, C. hemipterus, C. brachypterus and probably C. obsoletus.