Investigating Photo-Degradation as a Potential Pheromone Production Pathway in Spotted Lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Evidence suggesting that the invasive species spotted lanternfly (SLF), Lycorma delicatula, may use pheromones has previously been shown. We hypothesized that sunlight might play a key role in SLF pheromone production based on observations that SLF adults spend time in the upper canopies of their host trees and their affinity for ultraviolet light. In this study, extracts from SLF nymphs and adults were either exposed to simulated sunlight (photo-degradation), or not exposed to light (crude), while volatiles were collected. Attraction of SLF nymphs and adults to volatiles from photo-degraded and crude samples, and their residues, was measured in dual-choice bioassays. SLF nymphs and adults responded differently to either residues or volatiles of both crude and photo-degraded body extracts. Photo-degradation did not increase the attraction of SLF individuals tested in two-choice bioassays, except for third instars. However, SLF males chose the residue from photo-degraded extracts over the residue from crude extracts of females. The results suggest that photo-degradation may play a role in sex-specific short-range communication, but photo-degradation did not appear to play a substantial role in long-range intraspecific chemical communication in SLF. This study produced additional evidence that SLF likely use pheromones in aggregation and mating. ABSTRACT: Since its discovery in North America in 2014, the spotted lanternfly (SLF), Lycorma delicatula, has become an economic, ecological, and nuisance pest there. Developing early detection and monitoring tools is critical to their mitigation and control. Previous research found evidence that SLF may use pheromones to help locate each other for aggregation or mating. Pheromone production necessitates specific conditions by the insects, and these must be investigated and described. A chemical process called photo-degradation has been described as a final step in the production of pheromones in several diurnal insect species, in which cuticular hydrocarbons were broken down by sunlight into volatile pheromone components. In this study, photo-degradation was investigated as a possible pheromone production pathway for SLF. Extracts from SLF mixed-sex third and fourth nymphs and male or female adults were either exposed to simulated sunlight to produce a photo-degradative reaction (photo-degraded), or not exposed to light (crude), while volatiles were collected. Behavioral bioassays tested for attraction to volatiles from photo-degraded and crude samples and their residues. In third instars, only the volatile samples from photo-degraded mixed-sex extracts were attractive. Fourth instar males were attracted to both crude and photo-degraded residues, and volatiles of photo-degraded mixed-sex extracts. Fourth instar females were attracted to volatiles of crude and photo-degraded mixed-sex extracts, but not to residues. In adults, only males were attracted to body volatiles from crude and photo-degraded extracts of either sex. Examination of all volatile samples using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) revealed that most of the identified compounds in photo-degraded extracts were also present in crude extracts. However, the abundance of these compounds in photo-degraded samples were 10 to 250 times more than their abundance in the crude counterparts. Results from behavioral bioassays indicate that photo-degradation probably does not generate a long-range pheromone, but it may be involved in the production of a short-range sex-recognition pheromone in SLF. This study provides additional evidence of pheromonal activity in SLF.