Ann Ray

Xavier University | XU · Department of Biology

We describe the identification and field testing of 3-methylthiopropan-1-ol (methionol) as a male-produced aggregation-sex pheromone for the cerambycid beetle Knulliana cincta cincta (Drury) (subfamily Cerambycinae, tribe Bothriospilini). The corresponding sulfoxide, 3-methylsulfinylpropan-1-ol, was also produced sex-specifically by males, but its...

Understanding the dispersal ability of invasive insects provides useful insights for developing effective management strategies. Historically, methods for marking insects for dispersal studies have been expensive, time‐consuming, labor‐intensive, and oftentimes ineffective, especially for woodboring beetles. Also, capturing or rearing insects requi...

Although international regulations have been successfully implemented to reduce the introduction and spread of plant pests through wood packaging material (WPM), wood-boring insects continue to be intercepted in WPM at U.S. ports of entry. Both hardwoods and softwoods are used in the construction of WPM for international trade; however, it is not c...

Genetic variability of invasive pests informs us of fundamental aspects of the invasion, which help leverage limited resources for more efficient pest management. This is particularly important for managing species with invasive populations fueled by recurrent introductions. We present the first phylogeographic study of the velvet longhorned beetle...

Solid wood packaging material (WPM) is widely recognized as a high-risk pathway for transport and potential introduction of wood-boring insects, including longhorned beetles in the family Cerambycidae. These beetles also are occasionally imported in finished wood products, such as furniture and decorative items. A targeted effort to identify wood b...

The velvet longhorned beetle, Trichoferus campestris (Faldermann) (“VLB”; Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), is native to eastern Asia where it infests and damages a wide range of deciduous and coniferous tree species, including orchard and timber species. Immature stages of VLB are transported to new countries via international commerce, and populations h...

We report here the pheromone of Megacyllene antennata (White) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), a species native to southwestern North America whose larvae feed in woody tissues of mesquite (Prosopis species; Fabaceae). Adult males sex-specifically produced a blend of eight common natural products, including the monoterpene alcohol (S)-α-terpineol; the m...

The Asian longhorned beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae), is an invasive woodborer that poses a serious threat to urban and natural landscapes. In North America, this beetle is a quarantine pest, and populations are subject to eradication efforts that consist of the identification, removal, and destru...

Global trade facilitates the inadvertent movement of insect pests and subsequent establishment of populations outside their native ranges. Despite phytosanitary measures, nonnative insects arrive at United States (U.S.) ports of entry as larvae in solid wood packaging material (SWPM). Identification of wood-boring larval insects is important for pe...

Background:Relatively little is known about the genomic basis and evolution of wood-feeding in beetles. We undertook genome sequencing and annotation, gene expression assays, studies of plant cell wall degrading enzymes, and other functional and comparative studies of the Asian longhorned beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis, a globally significant inv...

Emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, is an invasive insect that has caused widespread mortality of ash species in North America. The ability of emerald ash borer to utilize white fringetree as an alternate host was reported recently. We aimed to determine how long white fringetree has been under attack from emerald ash borer, the degre...

Longhorned Woodboring Beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae and Disteniidae): Primary Types of the Smithsonian Institution Steven W. Lingafelter, Eugenio H. Nearns, Gerard L. Tavakilian, Miguel A. Monne, Michael Bondi 2014: 390 pages Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press Washington, DC ISBN: 978-1-935623-40-3 $69.95 (hardcover) ![Graphic][1] In th...

Many species of cerambycid beetles in the subfamily Cerambycinae are known to use male-produced pheromones composed of one or a few components such as 3-hydroxyalkan-2-ones and the related 2,3-alkanediols. Here, we show that this pheromone structure is characteristic of the cerambycine genus Neoclytus Thomson, based on laboratory and field studies...

We report the identification of a novel pheromone structure from males of the cerambycid beetle Tylonotus bimaculatus Haldeman (Cerambycinae: Hesperophanini), a species native to eastern North America. Volatiles collected from adult males contained (2S,4E)-2-hydroxyoct-4-en-3-one (71 %), (3R,4E)-3-hydroxyoct-4-en-2-one (15 %), (E)-4-octen-2,3-dione...

We report here that (4R,9Z)-hexadec-9-en-4-olide [(R)-desmolactone] is a sex attractant or sex pheromone for multiple species and subspecies in the cerambycid genus Desmocerus. This compound was previously identified as a female-produced sex attractant pheromone of Desmocerus californicus californicus. Headspace volatiles from female Desmocerus aur...

Larvae of wood boring beetles are the common stage detected during inspection of imported wood packing materials by Customs and Border Protection. Larvae are difficult to identify beyond family level by morphological characteristics, so we are rearing adults from larvae in the families Cerambycidae and Buprestidae intercepted at six ports in the U....

Recent work suggests that closely related cerambycid species often share pheromone components, or even produce pheromone blends of identical composition. However, little is known of the pheromones of species in the subfamily Prioninae. During field bioassays in California, males of three species in the prionine genus Tragosoma were attracted to 2,3...

We report the identification, synthesis, and field bioassays of a female-produced sex attractant pheromone for the cerambycid beetle Desmocerus californicus californicus Horn. Headspace volatiles from females contained a sex-specific compound, (R)-desmolactone [(4R,9Z)-hexadec-9-en-4-olide], which elicited strong responses from the antennae of adul...

Bugscope is a free online microscopy outreach program that offers K–12 classrooms anywhere in the world the ability to remotely operate a high-resolution scanning electron microscope, collect images of insects and other similar arthropods, and chat simultaneously with a team of scientists. It was conceived and implemented in the late 1990s when K–1...

We report the identification, synthesis, and field bioassays of a female-produced sex attractant pheromone component of the cerambycid beetle Ortholeptura valida (LeConte). Headspace volatiles from females contained a female-specific compound, (Z)-11-octadecen-1-yl acetate, which elicited a strong response from antennae of adult males in coupled ga...

We previously identified the basic structure of the female-produced sex attractant pheromone of the cerambycid beetle, Prionus californicus Motschulsky (Cerambycidae: Prioninae), as 3,5-dimethyldodecanoic acid. A synthesized mixture of the four stereoisomers of 3,5-dimethyldodecanoic acid was highly attractive to male beetles. Here, we describe ste...

The following nomenclatural changes to the genus Phymatodes Mulsant, 1839 are proposed: P. juglandis Leng, 1890 = P. decussatus (LeConte, 1857); P. mohavensis Linsley and Chemsak, 1963 = P. nitidus LeConte, 1874; P. lecontei Linsley, 1938 (a replacement name) = P. grandis Casey, 1912; P. oregonensis Chemsak, 1963 = P. nigrescens Hardy and Preece, 1...

We report the identification and field bioassays of a major component of the male-produced aggregation pheromone of Anelaphus inflaticollis Chemsak, an uncommon desert cerambycine beetle. Male A. inflaticollis produced a sex-specific blend of components that included (R)-3-hydroxyhexan-2-one, (S)-2-hydroxyhexan-3-one, 2,3-hexanedione, and (2R,3R)-...

Adult male Megacyllene robiniae (Förster) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) that are paired with a female often are challenged by conspecific males that attempt to displace them. In staged laboratory bouts, challenging males used seven distinct tactics to displace defending males, including wedging their head between the defender and the female (termed we...

Females of the large cerambycid beetle Prionus californicus produce a powerful sex pheromone that attracts males. The pheromone was adsorbed on solid phase microextraction (SPME) fibers inserted into the ovipositor sheath and analyzed by coupled gas chromatography-electroantennogram detection and GC-mass spectrometry. The pheromone was identified a...

We report the identification, synthesis, and field bioassays of a volatile, male-produced aggregation pheromone of a long-horned beetle, the banded alder borer, Rosalia funebris Mots. Headspace collections from males contained a major male-specific compound, (Z)-3-decenyl (E)-2-hexenoate, and several minor components, identified as (Z)-3-decenol, (...

The genus Tragidion Audinet-Serville is reviewed, two new species are described: Tragidion agave, sp. nov., and Tragid-ion deceptum, sp. nov; four new synonymies are proposed: T. peninsulare Schaeffer and T. p. californicum Linsley = T. annulatum LeConte, T. cyanovestis Chemsak and Linsley = T. bicolor Bates, and T. armatum brevipenne Linsley = T....

of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2008 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, August 3 – August 7, 2008

Presentation at Entomological Society of America meeting in 2007

Males of several species of longhorned beetles in the subfamily Cerambycinae produce sex or aggregation pheromones consisting of 2,3-hexanediols and/or hydroxyhexanones. We tested the hypothesis that this diol/hydroxyketone pheromone motif is highly conserved within the subfamily, and the resulting prediction that multiple cerambycine species will...

Adult male Neoclytus mucronatus mucronatus (F.) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae) were observed to display behaviors identical to calling behaviors of the congener N. acuminatus acuminatus F., males of which produce an aggregation pheromone. Odors collected from male N. m. mucronatus contained one major male-specific compound, identified as...

Males of the cerambycid beetle Neoclytus acuminatus acuminatus (F.) assume a body posture, never displayed by females, that appears to be associated with release of an aggregation pheromone: they periodically stop walking and fully extend their front legs, elevating their head and thorax above the substrate. In this article, we demonstrate that thi...

Males of five species of three tribes in the longhorned beetle subfamily Cerambycinae produce volatile pheromones that share a structural motif (hydroxyl or carbonyl groups at carbons two and three in straight-chains of six, eight, or ten carbons). Pheromone gland pores are present on the prothoraces of males, but are absent in females, suggesting...

A new species, Curius chemsaki (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae: Curiini), from Venezuela is described. Features distinguishing the new species from its congeners as well as a key to the four species are presented. Sexual dimorphism in pronotal and prosternal morphology within the genus is also discussed. Resumen Una nueva especie, Curius ch...

Male Megacyllene caryae (Gahan) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) respond to females only after touching them with their antennae, indicating that mate recognition is mediated by a contact sex pheromone. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses of whole-body solvent extracts of male and female M. caryae revealed substantial differences in hydrocarbon...

Printout. Thesis (M.S.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2005. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 19-20)