Volatilome Analysis of Soursop Fruits for the Determination of Kairomone Components That Attract the Annonaceae Fruit Weevil (Optatus palmaris Pascoe).

Soursop possesses the largest fruit size of the Annona genus. However, this species is threatened by the Annonaceae fruit weevil (Optatus palmaris), which can cause the destruction of whole soursop fruits. Recently, the potential of semiochemicals for the management of this insect is highlighted, and its aggregation pheromone has been elucidated. This pheromone works well only when mixed with soursop volatiles. Thus, the aim of this research was to determine specific kairomone components to potentiate the aggregation pheromone of this Annonaceae fruit weevil. This task was carried out via volatilome analysis of soursop fruits, which was correlated with the biological activity of the identified volatiles. The GC-MS analysis of aroma collections of mature soursop fruits and flowers, determined using multivariate data analysis, confirmed a volatile differentiation between these organs. The volatile variation between fruits and flowers was reflected in weevils' preference for mature fruits instead of flowers. Moreover, weevils' response to soursop fruits increased with more mature fruits. This was correlated with volatile changes throughout the phenological stages of soursop fruits. The two volatiles most correlated with weevils' attraction were benzothiazole and (E)-ß-caryophyllene. These volatiles only evoked a response when mixed and potentiated the attraction of the aggregation pheromone. Thus, these two volatiles are active kairomone components with the potential for being used in combination with the aggregation pheromone of Annonaceae fruit weevils in field trials.

Detailed Morphology of All Life Stages of the Agave Red Worm, Comadia redtenbacheri (Hammerschmidt) (Lepidoptera: Cossidae).

The agave red worm, Comadia redtenbacheri (Hammerschmidt), is an important source of food and income in Mexico. Despite its importance, several aspects of its biology, morphology, and behavior remain poorly studied. In this work, we describe and illustrate the morphology of all the life stages that may aid in understanding certain aspects of its biology. To obtain all life stages, last instar larvae were collected from agave plants and allowed to pupate; after the adults emerged, they were allowed to mate and oviposit. The frenulum is longer in males; epiphysis I is longer in females than in males; the abdomen bears two types of tubercles of unknown function. Eggs present a reticulate chorion; primary rosette cells are highly variable in shape; the micropylar formula is (10-14): (12-13). First instar larvae are white, becoming red as they develop; L3 in the prothorax is subprimary; the SV setal group in A1 is comprised of only SV1 on first instar larvae; last instars have several secondary setae. Pupae are adecticous and obtect; there are rows of spines on the dorsum of the abdomen. The biological significance of some of the findings is discussed.

Bacteria Present in Comadia redtenbacheri Larvae (Lepidoptera: Cossidae).

The external and internal culturable bacterial community present in the larvae of Comadia redtenbacheri Hammerschmidt, an edible insect, was studied. Characterization of the isolates determined the existence of 18 morphotypes and phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene revealed the existence of Paenibacillus sp., Bacillus safensis, Pseudomonas sp., Bacillus pseudomycoides, Corynebacterium variabile, Enterococcus sp., Gordonia sp., Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, Arthrobacter sp., Micrococcus sp., and Bacillus cereus. Greater diversity of bacteria was found in those larvae obtained from vendors than in those directly taken from Agave plants in nature. Many of the larvae obtained from vendors presented signs of potential disease, and after the analysis, results showed a greater bacterial community compared with the larvae with a healthy appearance. This indicates that bacterial flora can vary in accordance with how the larvae are handled during extraction, collection, and transport.

Ovariole structure of the cochineal scale insect, Dactylopius coccus.

The ovaries of the adult cochineal scale insect, Dactylopius coccus Costa (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Dactylopiidae) are made up of more than 400 short ovarioles of the telotrophic type. The ovarioles develop asynchronously. The ovarioles consist of a germarium with six or seven nurse cells, a vitellarium with an oocyte, and pedicel. A terminal filament is lacking. A maturing oocyte was attached to the trophic core by the trophic cord during previtellogenesis and most of vitellogenesis.