Calling Behavior of Tetropium fuscum (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Spondylidinae)

We describe the calling posture of the brown spruce longhorn beetle, Tetropium fuscum (F.), and demonstrate, using solid-phase micro-extraction and gas chromatography — mass spectrometry, that this posture is positively correlated with the release of fuscumol, a male-produced long-range pheromone. The posture is observed only in males and is characterized by an extension of the legs that raises the body entirely off the substrate at an angle of approximately 10°, with the posterior end higher than the head. Characterization of the calling posture is a useful diagnostic tool for future research on the reproductive biology of T. fuscum, since a simple visual assessment can be used instead of chemical analysis to determine when males are emitting fuscumol. In addition, we demonstrate that the presence of conspecific males stimulates calling behaviour in T. fuscum. This study contributes much-needed data on the biology and mating behavior of this invasive wood-boring species.