Insect Science (2020) 27, 1285-1297

Zhu-Dong Liu, Guo-Bing Mi, Kenneth F. Raffa and Jiang-Hua Sun (2020)
Physical contact, volatiles, and acoustic signals contribute to monogamy in an invasive aggregating bark beetle
Insect Science 27 (6), 1285-1297
Abstract: The behavioral strategies and mechanisms by which some insects maintain monogamous mating systems are not well understood. We investigated the mating system of the bark beetle Dendroctonus valens, and identified several contributing mechanisms. Field and laboratory observations suggest the adults commonly form permanent bonds during host colonization. Moreover, it showed mated females that remained paired with males produced more offspring than mated females that were alone in galleries. In bioassays, a second female commonly entered a gallery constructed by a prior female. Videos show she commonly reached the location of the first female, but they did not engage in actual fighting. Rather, the second female typically departs to form her own gallery. Acoustic signaling likewise does not appear to influence female-female encounters, based on controlled muting experiments. Instead, the intruder appears to perceive the resident's presence by physical contact. Both acoustic signals and volatiles released by females during gallery constructing were shown to attract males. After a male joined a female in a gallery, the male-produced aggressive sounds, which were shown by playback to deter other males from entering the gallery. Unlike female-female interactions, resident males use their head and rear to push intruders out of galleries. Additionally, volatiles released by males during feeding repelled intruding males, discouraging them from entering the gallery. Males also construct plugs that block the entrance, which may prevent subsequent males and predators from entering the gallery. Thus, D. valens has evolved multifaceted mechanisms contributing to single pairings that confer benefits to both sexes.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Zhu-Dong Liu, Kenneth F. Raffa, Jiang-Hua Sun

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
pheromones/attractants/traps
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Dendroctonus valens