Response of Anastrepha suspensa (Diptera: Tephritidae) to terminal diamines in a food-based synthetic attractant.

A current trapping system for Anastrepha fruit flies uses a two-component food-based synthetic attractant consisting of ammonium acetate and putrescine (1,4-diaminobutane). Development of more effective monitoring programs may be realized through identification of additional attractant chemicals. This study examined response of the Caribbean fruit fly, Anastrepha suspensa (Loew), to putrescine and four homologous terminal diamines, differing only in carbon chain length. Using a fixed dose of each diamine substrate, electroantennogram (EAG) responses from mature females to putrescine and cadaverine (1,5-diaminopentane) were not significantly different from each other but were significantly greater than responses to longer chain diamines. Over a range of doses tested, mean female EAG response was greater than male response to both putrescine and cadaverine. In an initial field test, capture of female flies in traps baited with ammonium acetate and either putrescine or cadaverine was higher than in traps baited with ammonium acetate and any of the other diamines. In a subsequent field test, traps baited with putrescine, cadaverine, or 1,6-diaminohexane in combination with ammonium acetate captured more female flies than traps baited with ammonium acetate alone. A significantly greater synergistic effect on female captures was observed with either putrescine or cadaverine than with 1,6-diaminohexane. Thus, of the diamines evaluated, cadaverine elicited both antennal and behavioral responses comparable to that of putrescine and will be studied further as a potential attractant for pest Anastrepha species.