Monitoring of the Leafminer Leucoptera scitella Zell (Lepidoptera: Lyonetidae) by Pheromone Traps in Bulgaria

Three-years monitoring (1996 –1998)of the leafminer moth Leucoptera scitella Zell was organi- zed in the apple orchard of the Fruit-Growing Institute,Plovdiv,Bulgaria.Sex pheromone traps with Hunga- rian caps (Plant Protection Institute,Hungarian Academy of Sciences)were used for first time in this country. As a result,three full generation of the pests were established in all three years and a partial one in 1996 and 1998.The beginning and the end of the first generation were also well defined by the catches in the pheromone traps.However,an overlap of the second and the third on the one hand and the third and the fourth on the other,was observed in all three years.The time of the first catches from the first generation varied from April 9 to April 22.The second and third generation began in the second decade of June and second decade of July,respectively.Chemical treatments seem to have no significant effect on the catches in the pheromone traps

Agriotes proximus and A. lineatus (Coleoptera: Elateridae): a comparative study on the pheromone composition and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene sequence

The presence of geranyl octanoate, previously found in pheromone gland extracts of Agriotes lineatus females, was also demonstrated in gland extracts of A. proximus females. Similar to A. lineatus, geranyl butanoate was present only in trace amounts in A. proximus female gland extracts. In air entrainment samples of female A. lineatus and A. proximus beetles, the relative ratio of geranyl butanoate and geranyl octanoate was higher than that in gland extracts. In addition, comparison of a segment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene of feral specimens of A. lineatus and A. proximus showed [99% similarity. Both pheromone profile and nucleotide sequence analysis delineate close relationship between the investigated taxa and postulate taxonomic revision. Further studies on sympatric populations of A. lineatus and A. proximus are underway to investigate and better understand possible processes of species diversification

Responses of Pseudovadonia livida adults to olfactory and visual cues

Pseudovadonia livida (F.) (Coleoptera Cerambycidae Lepturinae) is a widely distributed and common species across Europe. This study was undertaken to investigate some aspects of the sensory and behavioural ecology of P. livida adults in relation to flowering plants they visit. First, their electroantennogram (EAG) responses to 42 synthetic plant volatile compounds were recorded.The antennae gave the strongest EAG responses to methyl anthranilate, methyl salicylate and 2-phenylethyl alcohol. In a field trapping experiment, P. livida beetles preferred fluorescent yellow and yellow traps over white, blue and transparent traps. When we compared different chemical lures, loaded with EAG-active compounds and their blends, in fluorescent yellow traps, we found that the beetles responded stronger to the two-component blend of methyl anthranilate and 2-phenylethyl alcohol than to other lures tested. In a subsequent experiment testing different ratios of these two compounds, the highest number of P. livida adults was recorded in traps baited with a ratio of 1:1 (100 mg of each compound) of methyl anthranilate and 2-phenylethyl alcohol, followed by traps with the 10:1 ratio. Thus, 1:1 and 10:1 blends of methyl anthranilate and 2-phenylethyl alcohol in fluorescent yellow traps are suitable for detection and monitoring of P. livida

Responses of Pseudovadonia livida adults to olfactory and visual cues

Pseudovadonia livida (F.) (Coleoptera Cerambycidae Lepturinae) is a widely distributed and common species across Europe. This study was undertaken to investigate some aspects of the sensory and behavioural ecology of P. livida adults in relation to flowering plants they visit. First, their electroantennogram (EAG) responses to 42 synthetic plant volatile compounds were recorded.The antennae gave the strongest EAG responses to methyl anthranilate, methyl salicylate and 2-phenylethyl alcohol. In a field trapping experiment, P. livida beetles preferred fluorescent yellow and yellow traps over white, blue and transparent traps. When we compared different chemical lures, loaded with EAG-active compounds and their blends, in fluorescent yellow traps, we found that the beetles responded stronger to the two-component blend of methyl anthranilate and 2-phenylethyl alcohol than to other lures tested. In a subsequent experiment testing different ratios of these two compounds, the highest number of P. livida adults was recorded in traps baited with a ratio of 1:1 (100 mg of each compound) of methyl anthranilate and 2-phenylethyl alcohol, followed by traps with the 10:1 ratio. Thus, 1:1 and 10:1 blends of methyl anthranilate and 2-phenylethyl alcohol in fluorescent yellow traps are suitable for detection and monitoring of P. livida

Identification of female sex pheromone for monitoring the barred tooth striped moth, trichopteryx polycommata, a priority conservation species

Pheromone-baited traps can be excellent tools for sensitive detection of insects of conservation concern. Here, identification of the sex pheromone of Trichopteryx polycommata (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775), an under-recorded UK priority species, is reported. In analyses of extracts of the pheromone glands of female T. polycommata by gas chromatography coupled to electroantennographic recording from the antenna of a male moth, a single active component was detected. This was identified as (Z,Z)-6,9-nonadecadiene (Z,Z6,9-19:H) by comparison of its mass spectrum and retention times with those of the synthetic standard. In a pilot field trial in Kent, UK, T. polycommata males were caught in pheromone traps baited with lures loaded with 1 mg and 2 mg (Z,Z)-6,9-19:H. Optimum lure loading was identified in a further five trials in Kent, Sussex and Lancashire where lures of 0, 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 1, 2, 5 and 10 mg loadings were tested. Traps baited with 1 to 10 mg of ZZ6,9-19:H caught significantly more T. polycommata than traps baited with 0 mg and 0.001 mg. In a pilot survey of T. polycommata using pheromone lures around Morecambe Bay, UK, T. polycommata males were captured at 122 new sites within the three counties where trials took place, demonstrating the potential of pheromone monitoring to increase knowledge of abundance, distribution and ecology of this elusive species

Pheromones and Other Semiochemicals for Monitoring Rare and Endangered Species

As global biodiversity declines, biodiversity and conservation have become ever more important research topics. Research in chemical ecology for conservation purposes has not adapted to address this need. During the last 10-15 years, only a few insect pheromones have been developed for biodiversity and conservation studies, including the identification and application of pheromones specifically for population monitoring. These investigations, supplemented with our knowledge from decades of studying pest insects, demonstrate that monitoring with pheromones and other semiochemicals can be applied widely for conservation of rare and threatened insects. Here, I summarize ongoing conservation research, and outline potential applications of chemical ecology and pheromone-based monitoring to studies of insect biodiversity and conservation research. Such applications include monitoring of insect population dynamics and distribution changes, including delineation of current ranges, the tracking of range expansions and contractions, and determination of their underlying causes. Sensitive and selective monitoring systems can further elucidate the importance of insect dispersal and landscape movements for conservation. Pheromone-based monitoring of indicator species will also be useful in identifying biodiversity hotspots, and in characterizing general changes in biodiversity in response to landscape, climatic, or other environmental changes

CRAYFISH EPIBIONTS BRANCHIOBDELLA SP. AND HYSTRICOSOMA CHAPPUISI (ANNELIDA: CLITELLATA) IN GREECE

Specimens of the three known Greek crayfish species, Astacus astacus (Linnaeus, 1758), Astacus leptodactylus Eschscholtz, 1823 and Austropotamobius torrentium (Schrank, 1803), were collected from seven localities in Greece and were examined for the epibionts of Branchiobdella sp. (Annelida: Clitellata) and the aelosomatid Hystricosoma chappuisi Michaelsen, 1926 and the copepod Nitocrella divaricata (Chappuis, 1923). As a result, three branchiobdellid species, Branchiobdella parasita (Braun, 1805), Branchiobdella pentodonta Whitman, 1882 and Branchiobdella hexodonta Grüber, 1883 were found. This was also the first report of B. pentodonta from Greece as well as H. chappuisi, the latter being found on crayfish gills in one of the localities investigated. Moreover, the current work represents the first documentation of the presence of B. parasita and B. hexodonta in several localities in Greece