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Cantharidin world in nature: a concealed arthropod assemblage with interactions via the terpenoid cantharidin
Author(s) -
Hashimoto Kosei,
Hayashi Fumio
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
entomological science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.536
H-Index - 28
eISSN - 1479-8298
pISSN - 1343-8786
DOI - 10.1111/ens.12074
Subject(s) - cantharidin , biology , arthropod , chemical ecology , terpenoid , mating , opiliones , ecology , zoology , botany
Cantharidin is produced by beetles of only two families, the M eloidae and the O edemeridae. This substance is a defensive terpenoid that is toxic to the enemies of the beetles. Cantharidin also attracts other groups of insects and has been used as a bait to trap them. Cantharidin‐baited traps deployed in central J apan captured coleopterans ( A nthicidae, E ndomychidae, P yrochroidae, and S carabaeidae), dipterans ( C eratopogonidae), hymenopterans ( F ormicidae), and harvestmen ( P odoctidae). The seasonal occurrences of these arthropods, their sex ratios, known feeding choices, and mating habits suggest three possible underlying reasons for the attractancy of cantharidin: (i) it is accumulated as a defense against enemies and sometimes for transfer from males to females as a nuptial gift; (ii) it is used as a chemical cue in food searching; and (iii) it is used as an aggregation pheromone by mature arthropod individuals. The group of canthariphilous arthropods we describe represents a cryptic ecological assemblage with rare chemical networking among apparently unrelated species.