Influence of Age and Mating Status on Pheromone Production in A
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insects Article Influence of Age and Mating Status on Pheromone Production in a Powderpost Beetle Lyctus africanus (Coleoptera: Lyctinae) Titik Kartika 1,*, Nobuhiro Shimizu 2, Setiawan Khoirul Himmi 1 , Ikhsan Guswenrivo 1, Didi Tarmadi 1, Sulaeman Yusuf 1 and Tsuyoshi Yoshimura 3 1 Research Center for Biomaterials, Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Bogor 16911, Indonesia; [email protected] (S.K.H.); [email protected] (I.G.); [email protected] (D.T.); [email protected] (S.Y.) 2 Faculty of Bioenvironmental Science, Kyoto University of Advanced Science, Kyoto 621-8555, Japan; [email protected] 3 Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere, Kyoto University, Kyoto 611-0011, Japan; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel./Fax: +62-21-8791-4509 Simple Summary: Powderpost beetles, such as Lyctus africanus, are a common pest group for dried cured wood. The damage is slow and inconspicuous; thus, the infestation is mostly identi- fied belatedly due to a lack of knowledge of how to locate and monitor it. L. africanus produces a pheromone, a chemical compound to attract other beetles. This pheromone has been deter- mined and suggested as a monitoring tool for L. africanus. Here, we examined the physiological and behavioral parameters that affect pheromone production. We found that food availability may affect pheromone production in adult L. africanus males. In addition, of three components in male L. africanus aggregation pheromones, major compounds 2 (3-pentyl dodecanoate) and 3 (3-pentyl tetradecanoate) may be affected by age, not mating status, while compound 1 (2-propyl dodecanoate) was produced steadily and was affected by mating status. This suggests Citation: Kartika, T.; Shimizu, N.; compounds 2 and 3 might have an important function in aggregation behavior, especially in signal- Himmi, S.K.; Guswenrivo, I.; ing for mating opportunities. We also were able to clarify the minor effect of compound 1 in the Tarmadi, D.; Yusuf, S.; Yoshimura, T. aggregation pheromone of L. africanus, although not its role. The present information will be helpful Influence of Age and Mating Status in understanding the chemical communication of these insects, which may be important for the on Pheromone Production in a development of improved pheromone-based management strategies for controlling Lyctus beetles. Powderpost Beetle Lyctus africanus (Coleoptera: Lyctinae). Insects 2021, Abstract: Powderpost beetles such as Lyctus africanus are a common pest group for dried cured 12, 8. https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ wood, causing significant harm to wood and wood products. We examined the life span and ef- insects12010008 fects of aging and mating status on pheromone production in the powderpost beetle L. africanus (Coleoptera: Lyctinae). Experiments compared starved and unstarved male groups, and chemi- Received: 16 November 2020 cal analysis was used to determine factors affecting pheromone production. Regarding lifespan, Accepted: 22 December 2020 Published: 25 December 2020 male beetles provided food survived up to 14 weeks, while starved beetles died before the fifth week. Thus, an adult L. africanus male may require food throughout its lifespan, and food availability Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neu- may affect pheromone production. There was no significant difference in the quantity of two major tral with regard to jurisdictional claims pheromone compounds, compound 2 (3-pentyl dodecanoate) and 3 (3-pentyl tetradecanoate) be- in published maps and institutional tween mated and un-mated males. On the other hand, a minor compound, compound 1 (2-propyl affiliations. dodecanoate) showed increased quantity after mating. The two major compounds were produced in low amounts by young L. africanus beetles, increasing until the fifth week, and beginning to decrease at the ninth week. The minor compound was produced steadily without significant change up to 9 weeks. Our results represent a step forward in the knowledge of the chemical communication of Copyright: © 2020 by the authors. Li- censee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This this important pest. article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Keywords: pheromone; Lyctus africanus; powderpost beetle; age; mating Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/). Insects 2021, 12, 8. https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/insects12010008 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/insects Insects 2021, 12, x 2 of 10 Insects 2021, 12, 8 2 of 10 1. Introduction 1. Introduction Powderpost beetles are a common pest group for dried cured wood, especially the Powderpost beetles are a common pest group for dried cured wood, especially the sapwood of hardwood. They convert wood into a mass of powdery or pelleted frass dur- sapwood of hardwood. They convert wood into a mass of powdery or pelleted frass during ing the larval stage [1]. The beetles cause major destruction to wood and its products, such the larval stage [1]. The beetles cause major destruction to wood and its products, such as as hardwood flooring, hardwood timbers, plywood, crating, and furniture [2]. The dam- hardwood flooring, hardwood timbers, plywood, crating, and furniture [2]. The damage is age is slow and inconspicuous; thus, infestation is generally identified belatedly due to a slow and inconspicuous; thus, infestation is generally identified belatedly due to a lack lack of knowledge on how to locate and monitor them. Powderpost beetles occur world- of knowledge on how to locate and monitor them. Powderpost beetles occur worldwide, wide, having indigenous species plus introduced species in each region, but are mainly having indigenous species plus introduced species in each region, but are mainly found in tropicalfound in and tropical arid areas and [arid3,4]. areas [3,4]. LyctusLyctus africanus africanusis is a a powderpost powderpost beetle beetle belonging belonging to to the the subfamily subfamily Lyctinae Lyctinae in in the the familyfamily Bostrichidae Bostrichidae [1 ,[1,5].5]. The The species species is endemic is endemic to East to East Asian Asian and East and AfricanEast African regions regions [6,7]. This[6,7]. beetle This isbeetle recognized is recognized as an economicallyas an economically important importantLyctus Lyctusspecies species due todue the to recent the re- explosionscent explosions of infestation of infestation in some in some areas areas [8]. [8]. The The beetle beetle is reportedis reported to to infest infest dried dried roots, roots, seeds,seeds, and and tubers tubers [6 [6,9],9] as as well well as as timber timber and and timber timber products products [6 [6,7].,7]. ChemicalChemical signaling signaling isis aa primary strategy in in many many insect insect species species for for communication communica- tionamong among individuals. individuals. A semiochemical A semiochemical is a chemic is aal chemical signal released signal releasedfrom one fromorganism one or-that ganismgenerates that a behavioral generates aor behavioral physiological or physiologicalresponse in other response members in other of the members same or different of the samespecies. or different Knowing species. the specific Knowing semiochemical the specific of semiochemical an insect is considered of an insect a promising is considered com- aponent promising in integrated component pest in integratedmanagement pest (IPM) management programs (IPM) for controlling programs insects. for controlling Different insects.control Different strategies, control such as strategies, monitoring, such mass as monitoring, trapping, mating mass trapping, disruption, mating and disruption,attract-and- andkill attract-and-killand push-pull strategies and push-pull have been strategies devel haveoped beenusing developedsemiochemicals using [10]. semiochemi- An aggre- calsgation [10]. pheromone An aggregation is one pheromone type of semiochemica is one type ofl. semiochemical.Released by an Released individual, by anit generates individ- ual,aggregative it generates behavior aggregative in members behavior of inboth members sexes or of of both the sexessame orsex of as the the same sender sex as[11,12]. the senderMany [non-social11,12]. Many Arthropod non-social species, Arthropod such as species, beetle, such release as beetle, an aggregation release an pheromone aggregation to pheromoneattract their to conspecific, attract their and conspecific, some conspicu and someous conspicuous similarities of similarities pheromone of pheromonefunction are functionshown in are different shown in taxa different [11–14]. taxa We [11 recently–14]. We began recently the begandevelopment the development of a monitoring of a mon- sys- itoringtem by system determining by determining the aggregation the aggregation pheromones pheromones in the L. in africanus the L. africanus speciesspecies [15]. Three [15]. Threeesters esters (Figure (Figure 1) were1) were identified identified as male-spe as male-specificcific compounds: compounds: 2-propyl 2-propyl dodecanoate dodecanoate (com- (compoundpound 1), 3-pentyl1), 3-pentyl dodecanoate dodecanoate (compound (compound 2), and2), and3-pentyl 3-pentyl tetradecanoate tetradecanoate (compound (com- pound3). There3). was There a synergistic was a synergistic effect among effect amongthe three the synthetic three synthetic esters compounds; esters compounds; however, however,compound compound 2 was recognized2 was recognized to play tothe play main the role main in rolethe