Electrophysiological and behavioral responses of the moth, Trabala vishnou gigantina Yang, 1978 (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae) to volatiles produced by the plant, Hippophae rhamnoides L. (Elaeagnaceae)

Abstract

Abstract. Plant volatiles are important to herbivorous insects for foraging and determining host location. Considering the damage caused by the moth species, Trabala vishnou gigantina Yang, 1978 (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae), to sea buckthorn, Hippophae rhamnoides L. (Elaeagnaceae), plantations, this study examined the antennal and behavioral responses of T. vishnou gigantina to the volatiles produced by H. rhamnoides. Electroantennographs revealed large differences between males and females concerning active odor profiles. Subtractive bioassays conducted in a flight tunnel showed that the 14-component mixture (BLE) and a subtracted five-component mixture of 2-ethylhexyl acetate, longifolene, 3-heptanone, α-ocimene, and 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one (treatment T-13) elicited equivalent responses in females. The BLE and a four-component mixture of 1-butanol, 3-methyl-1-butanol, 2-ethylhexyl acetate, and longifolene (treatment T-n) elicited equivalent responses in males. These findings indicate the potential for developing specific synthetic host plant lures and traps for T. vishnou gigantina. The attractive volatiles will also be helpful in future studies to gain further insights into the olfactory information processing in these insects.