Attraction behavior of the Melon Weevil,Acythopeus curvirostris persicus, to conspecificinsects and host plants

M. Afrakhteh | Habib Abbasipour | Kazem Mohammadpour | Alireza Askarianzadeh

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URL :   http://research.shahed.ac.ir/WSR/WebPages/Report/PaperView.aspx?PaperID=137596
Date :  2020/06/09
Publish in :    International Journal of Vegetable Science
DOI :  https://doi.org/ https://doi.org/10.1080/19315260.2020.1771502
Link :  http://dx.doi.org/ https://doi.org/10.1080/19315260.2020.1771502
Keywords :Aggregation pheromone;cucurbitaceae; melon weevil;two-way static olfactomete

Abstract :

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Melon weevil,Acytopeus curvirostris persicusThompson (Col.:Curculionidae), is an important pest of cucurbits. Understandingthe chemical ecology of this species could provide information forthe development of nonchemical control measures. Field trappingexperiments indicated adult insects respond to conspecific (amember of the same species) insects and host fruit. To determineattractiveness rate, two-way static experiments were carried outunder laboratory conditions using conspecific insects, and to eval-uate the role of the host plants melon (Cucumis meloL.), water-melon Citrullus lanatus(Thunb), cucumber (C. sativusL.), andcolocynth C. colocynthis(L.). Cucumber fruit had the most, andcolocynth fruit, the least attraction. Adult insects were moreattracted to a mated, or unmated, conspecific insect indicatingexistence of an aggregation pheromone. Results of the studyprovided the necessary background for the identification of hostplant kairomone and aggregation pheromone of melon weevil.