Journal of Economic Entomology (2021) 114, 1411-1414

Norikuni Kumano, Kaori Tsurui-Sato, Kiyohito Teruya and Tetsuya Toyosato (2021)
Female marking via rubidium-labeled ejaculates in the West Indian sweetpotato weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)
Journal of Economic Entomology 114 (3), 1411-1414
Abstract: The West Indian sweetpotato weevil, Euscepes postfasciatus (Fairmaire), is one of the pests of the sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas, in tropical and subtropical countries. Although an eradication program using the sterile insect technique (SIT) for this weevil is now underway in Japan, the lack of potent attractants such as sex pheromones for this weevil species prevents effective monitoring and hampers pest control operations. New methods to monitor the performance of sterile males using trapped wild females are needed. In this study, we tested whether the ejaculate of the labeled males that were fed an artificial diet labeled with the trace element, rubidium (Rb), is detectable in the fertilized females. We fed an artificial diet treated with Rb (1.00, 0.50, 0.25, and 0.00%) to adult male weevils for 14 d after emerging and quantified the rubidium content in inseminated females. We also examined the side effects of the artificial diet on mating performance and longevity. The advantages of monitoring the spatial level of sterility using data from females labeled with ejaculate of Rb-fed males in an SIT eradication program are discussed.
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Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Norikuni Kumano

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
population dynamics/ epidemiology
surveys/sampling/distribution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Euscepes postfasciatus	Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas)	Japan