Investigation of semiochemicals in Monochamus scutellatus, the white-spotted pine sawyer beetle (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

Pheromones are important in mate location and species recognition in insects. In this study investigations were conducted to find potential leads for a long-range pheromone including oxidized olefins, segment-specific compounds, behavior induced volatiles, and prothoracic pores for releasing volatiles in the pine sawyer beetle (Monochamus scutellatus). Antennal responsess were recorded for four of the seven volatiles collected from oxidation experiments. An unidentified compound was collected from the male prothoracic spike. Pyridine and diethyl ether were collected with SPME coincident with male abdominal flexing. SEM photographs showed pores around grooved setae potentially for pheromone release. GC-MS analyses of whole-body extracts of maturation-fed females, unfed females and maturation fed males provided evidence that nutritional conditions influence the cuticular profile and potentially signal female maturation to males. These results indicate that chemical communication in M. scutellatus is complex.