Male white grub beetles prefer the pheromone composition of young females in the field.

ABSTRACT

Females of the white grub beetle, Dasylepida ishigakiensis, release both (R)- and (S)-2-butanol as sex pheromones, but the males are only attracted to (R)-2-butanol. In laboratory-reared females, the proportion of the (R)-isomer decreased significantly as their calling opportunities increased and as they aged. We examined whether such qualitative changes also occur in field populations. We collected virgin females from the field and then trapped and analysed the volatiles emitted during their first and second callings. The ratio of (R)- to (S)-2-butanol (R/S) was 7822 at the first calling, but shifted to 3961 at the second calling. While investigating the composition of the female pheromones, the question arose as to whether the male preferences change in response to the shift in female pheromone composition. To answer this question, we observed the behaviour of young and old males in response to various R/S ratios as lures in the laboratory and in the field. In the flight tunnel assay of laboratory-reared individuals, young males touched female models with a 91 R/S ratio lure less than those with pure (R)-2-butanol; however, older males touched the two groups with equivalent frequency. In the field trap test, older males were much more attracted to (R)-2-butanol-scented lures. When we tested using lures with the same amount of (R)-2-butanol but added different amounts of the (S)-isomer, we found that increased levels of (S)-2-butanol resulted in lower attractiveness to males. (S)-2-butanol was confirmed to have an inhibitive activity in the attractiveness of (R)-2-butanol.