Limoniic acid and its analogue as trap lures for pest Limonius species (Coleoptera: Elateridae) in North America

Authors: VAN HERK, WILLEM - Agriculture And Agri-Food Canada; LEMKE, EMILY - Agriculture And Agri-Food Canada; GRIES, GERHARD - Simon Fraser University; GRIES, REGINE - Simon Fraser University; Serrano, Jacqueline; CATTON, HALEY - Lethbridge Research Center; WANNER, KEVIN - Montana State University; LANDOLT, PETER - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA); Cooper, William - Rodney; MEERS, SCOTT - Mayland Consulting; NIKOUKAR, A - University Of Idaho; SMITH, JOCELYN - University Of Guelph; ALAMSETTI, S - Simon Frasier University; ETZLER, FRANK - Clemson University

Submitted to: Journal of Economic Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/7/2021
Publication Date: 8/10/2021
Citation: van Herk, W.G., Lemke, E., Gries, G., Gries, R., Serrano, J.M., Catton, H.A., Wanner, K.W., Landolt, P.J., Cooper, W.R., Meers, S., Nikoukar, A., Smith, J.L., Alamsetti, S.K., Etzler, F. 2021. Limoniic acid and its analogue as trap lures for pest Limonius species (Coleoptera: Elateridae) in North America. Journal of Economic Entomology. 114(5):2108-2120. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toab154.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toab154

Interpretive Summary: Wireworms, the larvae of click beetles, are insect pests that inhabit the soil and feed on many staple crops such as cereals and root vegetables. These pests have become increasingly problematic in North America in recent years, in part due to the lack of effective management strategies. Several species of the genus Limonius, are prominent pests of several crops throughout North America, and recently the female produced sex pheromone has been identified for two significant pest species, L. canus (Pacific Coast wireworm) and L. californicus (sugarbeet wireworm). An international team of researchers that included researchers at the USDA-ARS in Wapato, WA investigated the utility of a pheromone and attractant lure developed for Limonius species across different locations in the U.S. and Canada. Our results indicated that the sex pheromone and its structural analog, were strongly attractive to male beetles of several species of Limonius across the regions explored. In a field study that compared different doses of pheromone, we determined that only a small amount of pheromone was required to attract male beetles. Given that the sex pheromone and attractive analog can attract males of multiple species, and not much is required to do so, suggests that the compounds can be developed into effective lures that will be useful for the management of pest species

Technical Abstract: The pest status of wireworms (Coleoptera: Elateridae), has increased in North America, in part due to the lack of effective management strategies. Sex pheromones and other semiochemicals are powerful tools that can be used to detect, monitor, and manage insect pests. The female-produced sex pheromone of economically important Limonius species, L. canus (Pacific Coast wireworm) and L. californicus (sugarbeet wireworm) has recently been identified, which could be incorporated into integrated pest management programs. Here, we describe the responses of the male Limonius beetles to a sex pheromone, a pheromone analog, and other related compounds in the field, across different locations in the U.S. and Canada. We determined that the pheromone and the analog are attractive to several different species of Limonius across North America, which suggests the utility of the pheromone lure. We also found that the related compounds were not attractive to Limonius males, and in some instances decrease attraction when paired with the pheromone or analog. In a dose-response study of the pheromone, significant numbers of beetles were captured with doses as low as 0.04 mg