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Title: ROLE OF VISUAL STIMULI IN HOST AND MATE LOCATION OF THE COLORADO POTATO BEETLE

Author
item SZENTESI, ARPAD - HUNGARIAN ACAD OF SCIENCE
item Weber, Donald
item JERMY, TIBOR - HUNGARIAN ACAD OF SCIENCE

Submitted to: Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/17/2003
Publication Date: 2/20/2003
Citation: Szentesi, A., Weber, D.C., Jermy, T. 2003. Role of visual stimuli in host and mate location of the colorado potato beetle. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata.

Interpretive Summary: Colorado potato beetle (CPB) is the most serious pest of potatoes in North America and most of Eurasia. Better understanding of its behavior, especially its movement in response to sights and smells, is necessary for the improvement of management strategies for this pest. We demonstrate attraction, under controlled laboratory conditions, to certain color boards that are visually similar to the color patterns of plants or CPB adults. We also estimate the beetles' visual sensitivity to objects based on size and distance from the insect. Male beetles responded more strongly to objects when exposed beforehand to female substances, demonstrating interaction of visual and chemical stimuli. Together these findings may be useful in designing traps or other attractive structures to divert beetles away from desirable crops and/or toward resistant, poisonous or treated plants.

Technical Abstract: Visual responses of adult male and female Colorado potato beetles (CPB, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say) (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae)) were investigated to 10 x 20 cm coloured paper-boards, beetle-sized coloured beads or dead CPB, and to combinations of these in laboratory experiments in an arena of 52 cm diameter. In addition, visual discriminatory abilities of males exposed to female-specific substances were also measured. The paths of the beetles were recorded on videotape by a computer-aided motion detection system. Parameters of tracks were calculated and the tape-recorded paths were further processed for behavioural analyses and for obtaining mean angular directions by circular statistics. Both sexes showed a strong preference for yellow-black striped, yellow and light-green boards and, to a lesser degree, were also attracted to yellow-green, dark-green, red and white boards, to beetle-sized beads coloured either black or yellow-black striped, and to some combinations of these. Males exposed to female substances immediately prior to entering the arena performed significantly more successful approaches to objects than did males of the control group. These results corroborate field observations on males' mate-searching behaviour and increase our understanding of natural host- and mate-finding processes.