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Chemical ecology and insect conservation: optimising pheromone-based monitoring of the threatened saproxylic click beetle Elater ferrugineus

Author

  • Glenn Svensson
  • Christoph Liedtke
  • Erik Hedenström
  • Palle Breistein
  • Joakim Bång
  • Mattias C Larsson

Summary, in English

Elater ferrugineus is a saproxylic click beetle inhabiting old deciduous trees in Europe. It is threatened throughout its area of distribution due to habitat loss. No efficient monitoring method has been available for this species, but observed attraction of females to (R)-(+)-γ-decalactone, which is a male-produced sex pheromone of its prey, the scarab beetle Osmoderma eremita, has led to the development of an odour lure for monitoring. In addition, four esters have recently been identified from the pheromone-producing gland in female E. ferrugineus, and a blend of these esters is highly attractive to conspecific males in the field, revealing an alternative odour-based method for monitoring this species. However, no rigorous analysis has been performed to check whether all four esters show biological activity in male E. ferrugineus, and whether its own sex pheromone is a more potent lure than the prey kairomone for monitoring of E. ferrugineus. In this study, we reinvestigated the E. ferrugineus sex pheromone, using electrophysiological and behavioural analyses, and found that only one of the esters, 7-methyloctyl (Z)-4-decenoate, is active. In addition, trapping experiments revealed that 7-methyloctyl (Z)-4-decenoate is a much more efficient attractant for male E. ferrugineus than the prey pheromone is for conspecific females, or any sex of O. eremita. With a very efficient odour lure at hand, novel information about current distribution, local population sizes, and dispersal ranges in E. ferrugineus can now be obtained, which can aid in conservation efforts to protect this threatened insect and its habitat.

Publishing year

2012

Language

English

Pages

549-555

Publication/Series

Journal of Insect Conservation

Volume

16

Issue

4

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Springer

Topic

  • Biological Sciences
  • Zoology

Keywords

  • Elateridae
  • Scarabaeidae
  • Sex pheromone
  • Kairomone
  • Field trapping
  • Conservation

Status

Published

Project

  • The PheroBio project (Pheromone monitoring of Biodiversity)

Research group

  • Pheromone Group

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1366-638X