Sex Pheromones of Plant-Feeding Scarab Beetles

From a chemist's perspective, Scarabaeidae is one of the most exciting group of insects to work on the isolation, identification, and synthesis of sex pheromones because-as opposed to Lepidoptera, which by and large utilizes straight chain alcohols, aldehydes, and acetates-the pheromonal chemistry of scarab beetles is remarkably diverse. While species in the subfamily Rutelinae utilize pheromone constituents, which are presumably fatty acid derivatives, the more primitive species in the subfamily Melolonthinae use phenolic, amino acid derivative, and terpenoid compounds. Here, I discuss the recent advances we have accomplished in the identification of scarab sex pheromones with especial emphasis on their chemical diversity. Also, I discuss the potential role of these sex pheromones in insect pest management. Field tests revealed that, in contrast to what has been frequently observed in the Lepidoptera, the higher the dosage of sex pheromone loaded in the traps the greater the capture of scarab beetles. These data suggest that mass trapping is more likely to be useful for scarab pest management than mating distruption.