Volatiles of the Predator Xylocoris flavipes Recognized by Its Prey Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) and Oryzaephilus surinamensis (Linne) as Escape Signals
Simple SummaryThe sense of smell helps insects perform essential behaviors like finding mates and food and avoiding dangers. Predators use unique smells to locate prey, but it is less understood if prey can recognize these predator odors and use them to escape. In this study, we examined howTribolium castaneum(Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) andOryzaephilus surinamensis(Coleoptera: Silvanidae), two common pests, react to the predatorXylocoris flavipes, widely used in pest control. We found that these pests avoidX. flavipesodors, particularly the volatiles, linalool and geraniol, which decrease their attraction to food sources. These compounds show strong potential as natural repellents for pest management.The olfactory sensory system plays vital roles in daily activities, such as locating mate partners, foraging, and risk avoidance. Natural enemies can locate their prey through characteristic volatiles. However, little is known about whether prey can recognize the volatiles of their predators and if this recognition can increase the efficiency of prey escaping from predators.Xylocoris flavipesis a predator ofTribolium castaneum(Herbst) andOryzaephilus surinamensis(Linne) that has been widely used in stored pest control. Herein, we analyze the volatile components ofXylocoris flavipesand their impacts on the olfactory behavior ofT. castaneumandO. surinamensis. We found thatT. castaneumandO. surinamensispreferred blank air rather than odors ofX. flavipesandX. flavipesemissions, which significantly decreased the orientation preference ofT. castaneumandO. surinamensisto wheat.X. flavipesemits three major volatiles, including linalool, α-terpineol, and geraniol. Y-tube bioassays showed thatT. castaneumandO. surinamensiscan recognize linalool and geraniol at certain concentrations, especially at 200 μg/mL. EAG recordings verified that linalool and geraniol elicit higher olfactory responses in the two pests, but very small EAG responses were observed in the insects to α-terpineol. A further repellency evaluation also proved that linalool and geraniol are repellent to the two pests, and this repellency can be slightly enhanced by mixing them together.T. castaneumandO. surinamensiscan recognize the predatorX. flavipesby perceiving its volatiles and using them as signals for escaping. The two most potent volatiles, linalool and geraniol, may have potential values as repellents in controlling pests in these two stored products.
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