Fungal volatiles: semiochemicals for stored-product beetles (Coleoptera: Cucujidae)

Responses by five species of cucujid grain beetles (mixed-sex adults) to various volatiles were assessed by means of a two choice, pitfall olfactometer. The test volatiles were short-chain alcohols and ketones known to be produced by fungi. Both racemic and chiral 1-octen-3-ols were strong attractants for Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Stephens), as had been found previously for Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.), O. mercator (Fauvel), and Ahasverus advena (Waltl). 3-Methylbutanol was another good attractant for these four cucujids, and it was the only test compound to which Cathartus quadricollis (Guer.) responded positively. 1-Octen-3-one, racemic 3-octanol, and 3-octanone showed various degrees of attractiveness for the former four species of cucujids. O. surinamensis was the only species of test beetle to show much positive response to 2-phenylethanol and ethanol. For O. mercator and O. surinamensis, 3-methylbutanol enhanced positive response to their respective cucujolide aggregation pheromones