Sound Production in Scolytidae: 3-Methyl-2-Cyclohexen-l-One Released by the Female Douglas Fir Beetle in Response to Male Sonic Signal1,2

Abstract

The major fraction of the attractant “mask” or antiaggregative pheromone of Dendroctonus pseudotsugae Hopkins was identified as 3-methyl-2-cyclohexen-l-one, (MCH). The female beetles released this compound after sonic stimulus by actual male stridulation and by electronic playback of recorded male sounds, thus definitively confirming that the cue for release of MCH is the male some Signal in a novel interaction of sonically and chemically induced behavior. This natural antiaggregative pheromone can presumably be used in forest protection without ecological disruption.