Original paper
Aggregation pheromones of Chinese citrus fly, Bactrocera minax (Diptera: Tephritidae)
Wei, Chengmei; Liu, Hang; Wei, Bo; Ma, Baosheng; Xiao, Chun; Dong, Wenxia
Entomologia Generalis Volume 45 Number 6 (2025), p. 1661 - 1667
published: Dec 4, 2025
published online: Nov 14, 2025
manuscript accepted: Aug 26, 2025
final revised version received: Jul 11, 2025
manuscript revision requested: Jun 26, 2025
manuscript received: Mar 31, 2025
ArtNo. ESP146004506012, Price: 29.00 €
Abstract
Bactrocera minax (Diptera: Tephritidae), a highly significant pest of citrus, is oligophagous, feeding exclusively on citrus fruits. However, effective and specific attractants for its monitoring and control remain unavailable. This study analyzed the compositions of rectal glands and volatile emissions, and identified eleven compounds that elicited electrophysiological responses in both males and females, including D-limonene, nonanal, N-(3-methylbutyl) acetamide, decanal, 1,2-octanediol, tetradecane, pentadecane, heptadecane, hexadecanol, ethyl (E)-9-hexadecenoate, and ethyl hexadecanoate. Y-tube bioassays demonstrated that N-(3-methylbutyl) acetamide, 1,2-octanediol, decanal, hexadecanol, and ethyl (E)-9-hexadecenoate were significantly more attractive to female B. minax than controls (P < 0.05), while N-(3-methylbutyl) acetamide, 1,2-octanediol, and hexadecanol were significantly more attractive to males than controls (P < 0.05). Four consecutive years of field trapping trials confirmed the attractiveness of N-(3-methylbutyl) acetamide and 1,2-octanediol to both sexes of adults. The results suggested that N-(3-methylbutyl) acetamide and 1, 2-octanediol act as aggregation pheromones for B. minax released from both females and males.
Keywords
Rectal gland extracts • headspace collections • GC-MS • GC-EAD • Y-olfactometer bioassay • field trapping trials