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Olfactory Response and Host Plant Feeding of the Central American Locust Schistocerca piceifrons piceifrons Walker to Common Plants in a Gregarious Zone

  • Ecology, Behavior and Bionomics
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Abstract

The Central American locust (CAL) Schistocerca piceifrons piceifrons Walker is one of the most harmful plant pests in the Yucatan Peninsula, where an important gregarious zone is located. The olfactory response and host plant acceptance by the CAL have not been studied in detail thus far. In this work, the olfactory response of the CAL to odor of various plant species was evaluated using an olfactometer test system. In addition, the host plant acceptance was assessed by the consumption of leaf area. Results showed that the CAL was highly attracted to odor of Pisonia aculeata. Evaluation of host plant acceptance showed that the CAL fed on Leucaena glauca and Waltheria americana, but not on P. aculeata or Guazuma ulmifolia. Analysis of leaf thickness, and leaf content of nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) showed that the CAL was attracted to plant species with low leaf C content.

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Acknowledgments

Authors thank Dr. Hans Ferenz of the Martin Luther University (Germany) for the olfactometer donation, and to Austin Browne for the revision of early versions of this manuscript. Authors also thank CONACyT Mexico for the PhD scholarship granted to Mario Poot Pech. Thanks also to the Mexican institutions, SENASICA and CESVY, for the logistic assistance on this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. División de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Instituto Tecnológico de Conkal, Km 16.3, antigua carretera Mérida-Motul, C.P. 97345, Conkal, Yucatán, México

    M A Poot-Pech, E Ruiz-Sánchez, H S Ballina-Gómez & A Reyes-Ramírez

  2. Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, Mérida, Yucatán, México

    M M Gamboa-Angulo

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  1. M A Poot-Pech
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  2. E Ruiz-Sánchez
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  3. H S Ballina-Gómez
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  4. M M Gamboa-Angulo
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  5. A Reyes-Ramírez
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Correspondence to E Ruiz-Sánchez.

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Edited by Christian S Torres – UFRPE

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Poot-Pech, M.A., Ruiz-Sánchez, E., Ballina-Gómez, H.S. et al. Olfactory Response and Host Plant Feeding of the Central American Locust Schistocerca piceifrons piceifrons Walker to Common Plants in a Gregarious Zone. Neotrop Entomol 45, 382–388 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-016-0385-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-016-0385-y

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