Chemical Ecology of Wood-boring Insects

The roles and chemistry of pheromones that mediate reproductive behaviors of cerambycid beetles have received remarkably little attention, given the economic importance of many cerambycid species. Until recently, very few volatile sex pheromones and nonvolatile contact pheromones had been identified. However, that situation is changing rapidly, with the number of identified pheromones more than doubling within the past few years. Here, we present an overview of the known pheromone chemistry of the Cerambycidae, including descriptions of methods used to identify, bioassay, and synthesize both volatile attractant pheromones and nonvolatile contact pheromones.