Volatile Cues from Fresh Cattle Dung Can Drive Horn Fly Egg-Laying and Fecal Attraction to Horn Flies, (Diptera: Muscidae)

Overview

Journal Insects

Specialty Biology

Date 2025 Feb 26

PMID 40003759

Authors

Javier Espinoza

Isabel Soto

Joaquin Arriagada

Marcelo Lizama

Nehuen Aninao

Washington Aninir

Emilio M Ungerfeld

Manuel Chacon-Fuentes

Andres Quiroz

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The horn fly is an economically important hematophagous ectoparasite of cattle. Its management relies heavily on broad-spectrum pesticides, which are harmful to the environment and have led to the development of resistance. Therefore, alternative control methods are needed. Semiochemicals involved in communication between horn flies and their host are a promising alternative. Considering that the egg-laying of this fly occurs almost exclusively in fresh cattle dung, and most parts of its life cycle occur totally in dung, dung volatiles might play an important role in horn fly behavior. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of volatile blends and compounds emitted from fresh/aged cattle dung on the olfactory response and oviposition of horn flies. Dung blends were captured and analyzed by SPME-GC/MS. -Cresol was the most abundant compound in dung blends, followed by - and -pinene, limonene, and -caryophyllene, among other common dung volatiles. Fresh-dung volatiles attracted males and females in a Y-tube olfactometer, and they elicited the egg-laying of flies in two-choice tests. -Cresol and α-pinene were attractive to females and they elicited higher oviposition, demonstrating that dung volatile semiochemicals, in part, lend to dung attractiveness and stimulate the horn fly oviposition.

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