Stink Bug Communication with Multimodal Signals Transmitted through Air and Substrate

This review represents complex mechanisms and processes of multimodal communication in stink bugs. During reproductive behavior the airborne and substrate-borne signals enable mate recognition, mediate directionality of movement, eliminate rivals and motivate partners for copulation. Species specific characteristics prevent hybridization at various levels of mating behavior. Male sex and/or aggregation pheromones as uni- or multicomponent signals attract mates to land on the same plant and there, trigger females to call males by vibratory signals, transmitted through the plant. Communication during courtship runs at short distance with visual, airborne, substrate-borne and contact chemical and mechanical signals. Abdomen vibrations produce the main repertoire of female and male calling, courtship and rival vibratory signals. To increase their informational value, stink bugs tune signal frequency, amplitude and temporal characteristics with mechanical properties of plants. The airborne component of species non-specific and high amplitude signals, produced by body tremulation and wing buzzing enables communication contact between mates standing on mechanically isolated plants. Female vibratory signals increase the amount of male emitted pheromone and the latter keeps female calling. Interaction, synergy and characteristics of visual, contact chemical and vibratory signals, exchanged during courtship remain under-investigated. Female and male competition for access to copulation in imbalanced sex conditions is characterized by duetting with rival song vibratory signals. Different receptors in and on different parts of the body are able to detect with high sensitivity multimodal airborne and substrate-borne communication signals. The relevance of the multimodal communication for the reproductive success of stink bugs is discussed

Reproductive Biology, Mating Behavior, and Vibratory Communication of the Brown-Winged Stink Bug, Edessa meditabunda

We describe different aspects of the reproductive biology, mating behavior, and vibratory communication of the pentatomid Edessa meditabunda (Fabr.). This species shows lower copulation frequency and reproductive potential with longer sexual maturation period compared to other species of pentatomids. Females with multiple mating show increased fecundity when compared with single-mated females and both increased fecundity and reduced longevity when compared with virgin females. Courtship and mating behavior and vibratory signals are typical and similar to what was observed in other species of pentatomids, except that males started the courtship. These results constitute the first paper on biology, behavior, and vibratory communication among species of the subfamily Edessinae

Euschistus heros mass rearing technique for the multiplication of Telenomus podisi

O objetivo deste trabalho foi melhorar a técnica de criação massal de Euschistus heros em laboratório. Ninfas e adultos foram criados nas densidades de 100, 200, 300 e 400 ovos por placa de Petri (9 cm diâmetro), e 50, 100, 150 e 200 casais por gaiola de criação (900 mL), respectivamente. Foram determinadas a taxa de sobrevivência dos estágios imaturos e a sobrevivência e reprodução de adultos. A sobrevivência das ninfas até o estágio de adulto foi maior (89%) quando criadas em densidade de 100 ovos por placa de Petri. A sobrevivência dos adultos foi independente da densidade, e 100 casais por gaiola de criação foi a melhor densidade encontrada para melhorar a qualidade dos insetos. Nessas condições, a fecundidade das fêmeas foi de 160,8±9,28 ovos por fêmea, e um total de 8.950±456 ovos por gaiola por mês foi produzido. A densidade de 200 casais por gaiola apresentou efeito negativo sobre a reprodução, que decresceu 65%. Com esta técnica, uma colônia de 35 gaiolas com 100 casais por gaiola produz cerca de 313,3 mil ovos por mês, quantidade suficiente para liberar o parasitóide de ovos Telenomus podisi em 35 ha de plantio de soja.The objective of this work was to improve the mass rearing technique of Euschistus heros in laboratory. Nymphs and adults were reared at densities 100, 200, 300 and 400 eggs per Petri dish (9 cm diameter), and at 50, 100, 150 and 200 couples per rearing cages (900 mL), respectively. Survival rate of immature stages and survivorship and reproduction of adults were determinated. Survivorship of nymph to adult was the highest (89%) at density 100 eggs per dish. Adult survivorship was independent of density, and 100 couples per cage were the best to improve quality of the produced progeny. In these conditions, fecundity was 160.8±9.28 eggs per female, and a total of 8,950±456 eggs per cage per month was produced. Two hundred couples per cage showed a negative effect on reproduction, which decreased to 65%. With this technique, a colony of 35 cages with 100 couples per cage yields about 313.3 thousands eggs per month, which is enough to supply the egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi to colonize about 35 ha of soybean field

Biologia comparada de dois percevejos congenéricos, Chinavia impicticornis e C. ubica (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)

O objetivo deste trabalho foi comparar a biologia de Chinavia impicticornis e de C. ubica (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), duas espécies de percevejos que ocorrem como pragas secundárias em soja. Foram utilizados procedimentos de tabelas de vida para a avaliação de ninfas, e tabelas de fertilidade para a de adultos, no intuito de estabelecer os parâmetros demográficos das duas espécies. As duas espécies apresentam parâmetros demográficos similares, e o desenvolvimento dos estágios imaturos, de ovo a adulto, apresentou duração similar, de aproximadamente 30 dias. Nas duas espécies, ovos e ninfas do segundo instar foram os estágios com maior mortalidade. A produção total de ovos não diferiu entre as fêmeas de ambas as espécies. As curvas de fecundidade e de sobrevivência para adultos mostraram tendências semelhantes nas duas espécies. Entretanto, C. ubica apresentou maior potencial de aumentar suas populações, uma vez que seus parâmetros de fecundidade foram significativamente maiores do que os de C. impicticornis. Além disso, o tempo generacional e o tempo necessário para dobrar a população em tamanho foram mais curtos em C. ubica. A longevidade prolongada, o longo período de oviposição, a alta fertilidade e a capacidade de aumentar rapidamente suas populações indicam que ambas as espécies podem tornar-se pragas potenciais, em ambientes favoráveis.The objective of this work was to compare the biology of Chinavia impicticornis and C. ubica (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), two species of stinkbugs that occur as secondary pests in soybean. Life table procedures were used for evaluating nymphs, and fecundity tables for evaluating adults, in order to establish the demographics of the two species. The two species have similar demographic parameters, and the development of immature stages, from egg to adult, had similar duration periods of approximately 30 days. In both species, eggs and second-instar nymphs were the stages with higher mortality. Total egg production did not differ between females of both species. Fecundity and survival curves for adults showed similar trends in both species. However, C. ubica had greater potential to increase its populations, since its fecundity parameters were significantly higher than those of C. impicticornis. Moreover, the generational time and the time required to double the population size were shorter in C. ubica. Prolonged longevity, long oviposition period, high fecundity, and the ability to rapidly increase their populations indicate that both species can become potential pests in favorable environments

Biological control of invasive stink bugs: review of global state and future prospects

Invasive stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) are responsible for high economic losses to agriculture on a global scale. The most important species, dating from recent to old invasions, include Bagrada hilaris (Burmeister), Halyomorpha halys (St\ue5l), Piezodorus guildinii (Westwood), Nezara viridula (L.), and Murgantia histrionica (Hahn). Bagrada hilaris, H. halys, and N. viridula are now almost globally distributed. Biological control of these pests faces a complex set of challenges that must be addressed to maintain pest populations below the economic injury level. Several case studies of classical and conservation biological control of invasive stink bugs are reported here. The most common parasitoids in their geographical area of origin are egg parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae, Encyrtidae, and Eupelmidae). Additionally, native parasitoids of adult stink bugs (Diptera: Tachinidae) have in some cases adapted to the novel hosts in the invaded area and native predators are known to prey on the various instars. Improving the efficacy of biocontrol agents is possible through conservation biological control techniques and exploitation of their chemical ecology. Moreover, integration of biological control with other techniques, such as behavioural manipulation of adult stink bugs and plant resistance, may be a sustainable pest control method within organic farming and integrated pest management programs. However, additional field studies are needed to verify the efficacy of these novel methods and transfer them from research to application

Identificação e avaliação em campo de uma nova mistura do feromônio sexual de Hypsipyla grandella

The objective of this work was to identify and carry out a field testing of the sex pheromone composition of the mahogany shoot borer, Hypsipyla grandella, from a population in Southern Brazil. Abdominal glands of H. grandella females were excised and extracted using n-hexane; the gland extracts were analysed by gas chromatography (GC-FID and GC-MS). Wind-tunnel and electrophysiology experiments were conducted to evaluate the role of gland compounds in the mating behavior of H. grandella males. In the field, pheromone traps containing the identified pheromone were tested. In addition to the two previously identified compounds – (9Z,12E)-tetradecadien-1-ol and  9Z,12E)‑tetradecadienyl acetate –, in insects from Central America populations, two additional compounds were identified in the blend: (9Z)- tetradecen-1-ol and (9Z)-tetradecenyl acetate. Gas chromatography-electroantennographic analyses showed that these four components elicited antennal responses from conspecific males. Wind tunnel bioassays using different amounts of the components Z9‑14:OH, Z9,E12‑14:OH, Z9‑14:OAc, and Z9,E12‑14:OAc, elicited male responses similar to the response to conspecific calling females. When the binary and quaternary mixtures were tested in field conditions, males were attracted to the traps containing the quaternary mixture. The new pheromone blend identified in H. grandella males has a great potential to be exploited as a monitoring tool or control measure in the field.O objetivo deste trabalho foi identificar e testar em campo a composição do feromônio sexual da broca-do-ponteiro do mogno, Hypsipyla grandella, de uma população do Sul do Brasil. As glândulas abdominais de fêmeas de H. grandella foram excisadas e extraídas por meio de n-hexano; os extratos de glândula foram analisados por cromatografia gasosa (GC-FID e GC-MS). Experimentos de túnel de vento e eletrofisiologia foram conduzidos para avaliar o papel dos compostos das glândulas no comportamento de busca de acasalamento pelos machos de H. grandella. Armadilhas com o feromônio identificado foram testadas em campo. Além dos compostos previamente identificados – (9Z,12E)-tetradecadien-1-ol e acetato de (9Z,12E)-tetradecadienila –, em populações de insetos da América Central, dois novos compostos foram identificados: (9Z)-tetradecen-1-ol e acetato de (9Z)-tetradecenila. A análise eletroantenográfica mostrou que estes quatro compostos provocaram uma resposta da antena dos machos coespecíficos. Os bioensaios em túnel de vento – com misturas binária, ternária e quaternária, com uso de diferentes quantidades dos compostos – Z9‑14:OH, Z9,E12‑14:OH, Z9‑14:OAc e Z9,E12‑14:OAc –, mostraram uma resposta do macho similar à resposta de chamamento das fêmeas coespecíficas. Quando as misturas binária e quaternária foram testadas em condições de campo, os machos foram atraídos para as armadilhas com a mistura quaternária. A nova mistura feromonal identificada em machos de H. grandella tem grande potencial para ser usado no monitoramento e controle desta praga no campo

Attractant Pheromone of the Neotropical Species Neomegalotomus parvus (Westwood) (Heteroptera: Alydidae)

The Neotropical broad-headed bug, Neomegalotomus parvus (Westwood), is adapted to various leguminous crops and is considered a pest in common bean and soybean. The chemical communication of this species was studied in order to identify an attractant pheromone. Males and females of N. parvus produce several short-chain esters and acids, and their antennae showed electrophysiological responses to five of these compounds, three common to both sexes (hexyl butanoate, 4-methylhexyl butanoate, and hexyl hexanoate), and two female-specific compounds (4-methylhexyl pentanoate and hexyl pentanoate). Both aeration extracts of females and a solution containing five synthetic compounds mimicking the natural blend were attractive to males and females N. parvus in a laboratory bioassay. Aspects of the chemical ecology of the broad-headed bugs and the possibility to use pheromone-baited traps in the field for monitoring are discussed

Interference of overlapping insect vibratory communication signals

Plants limit the range of insect substrate-borne vibratory communication by their architecture and mechanical properties that change transmitted signal time, amplitude and frequency characteristics. Stinkbugs gain higher signal-to-noise ratio and increase communication distance by emitting narrowband low frequency vibratory signals that are tuned with transmission properties of plants. The objective of the present study was to investigate hitherto overlooked consequences of duetting with mutually overlapped narrowband vibratory signals. The overlapped vibrations of the model stinkbug species Eushistus heros, produced naturally or induced artificially on different plants, have been analysed. They represent female and male strategies to preserve information within a complex masked signal. The brown stinkbugs E. heros communicate with species and gender specific vibratory signals that constitute characteristic duets in the calling, courtship and rivalry phases of mating behaviour. The calling female pulse overlaps the male vibratory response when the latency of the latter is shorter than the duration of the female triggering signal or when the male response does not inhibit the following female pulse. Overlapping of signals induces interference that changes their amplitude pattern to a sequence of regularly repeated pulses in which their duration and the difference between frequencies of overlapped vibrations are related inversely. Interference does not occur in overlapped narrow band female calling pulses and broadband male courtship pulse trains. In a duet with overlapped signals females and males change time parameters and increase the frequency difference between signals by changing the frequency level and frequency modulation pattern of their calls

Comparative biology of two congeneric stinkbugs, Chinavia impicticornis and C. ubica (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)

The objective of this work was to compare the biology of Chinavia impicticornis and C. ubica (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), two species of stinkbugs that occur as secondary pests in soybean. Life table procedures were used for evaluating nymphs, and fecundity tables for evaluating adults, in order to establish the demographics of the two species. The two species have similar demographic parameters, and the development of immature stages, from egg to adult, had similar duration periods of approximately 30 days. In both species, eggs and second-instar nymphs were the stages with higher mortality. Total egg production did not differ between females of both species. Fecundity and survival curves for adults showed similar trends in both species. However, C. ubica had greater potential to increase its populations, since its fecundity parameters were significantly higher than those of C. impicticornis. Moreover, the generational time and the time required to double the population size were shorter in C. ubica. Prolonged longevity, long oviposition period, high fecundity, and the ability to rapidly increase their populations indicate that both species can become potential pests in favorable environments