title: (R)-Desmolactone is a sex pheromone or sex attractant for the endangered valley elderberry longhorn beetle Desmocerus californicus dimorphus and several congeners (Cerambycidae: Lepturinae).
abstract: We report here that (4R,9Z)-hexadec-9-en-4-olide [(R)-desmolactone] is a sex attractant or sex pheromone for multiple species and subspecies in the cerambycid genus Desmocerus. This compound was previously identified as a female-produced sex attractant pheromone of Desmocerus californicus californicus. Headspace volatiles from female Desmocerus aureipennis aureipennis contained (R)-desmolactone, and the antennae of adult males of two species responded strongly to synthetic (R)-desmolactone in coupled gas chromatography-electroantennogram analyses. In field bioassays in California, Oregon, and British Columbia, traps baited with synthetic (R)-desmolactone captured males of several Desmocerus species and subspecies. Only male beetles were captured, indicating that this compound acts as a sex-specific attractant, rather than as a signal for aggregation. In targeted field bioassays, males of the US federally threatened subspecies Desmocerus californicus dimorphus responded to the synthetic attractant in a dose dependent manner. Our results represent the first example of a "generic" sex pheromone used by multiple species in the subfamily Lepturinae, and demonstrate that pheromone-baited traps may be a sensitive and efficient method of monitoring the threatened species Desmocerus californicus dimorphus, commonly known as the valley elderberry longhorn beetle.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America.
authors.forename: Ann M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Ray
authors.affiliation: Entomological Consulting Services, Ltd., Pleasant Hill, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Arnold
authors.affiliation: California State Collection of Arthropods, Sacramento, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Swift
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America.
authors.forename: Philip A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Schapker
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Sean
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: McCann
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America.
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Marshall
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: J Steven
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: McElfresh
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Jocelyn G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Millar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001517:Coleoptera / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D007783:Lactones / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male; D012724:Sex Attractants / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: C572792:(R)-desmolactone; D007783:Lactones; D012724:Sex Attractants