Vittatalactone is the male-produced aggregation pheromone of the western striped cucumber beetle, Acalymma trivittatum

We found that vittatalactone, specifically 2R,3R,4S,6S,8S-2-methyl-3-(2,4,6,8-tetramethyloctyl)oxetan-3-one, is the male-produced aggregation pheromone of the western striped cucumber beetle, Acalymma trivittatum (Mannerheim), as was previously shown for the striped cucumber beetle, Acalymma vittatum (F.) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Using traps with baited and unbaited sticky panels in California and Maryland, we demonstrated that an eight-isomer synthetic mix with 2R,3R configuration, containing 9% of the authentic natural pheromone, is attractive to both sexes of both species in the field. Females of both species do not produce detectable vittatalactone. This finding expands the usefulness of the synthetic vittatalactone mixture for pest management throughout the range of both A. vittatum and A. trivittatum. We recommend that future work examine the attractiveness of vittatalactone to other cucurbit pests to test the potential for even broader use of vittatalactone.