Contact-pheromone
Guides
Dectes texanus
Dectes stem borer, Texas prick, soybean stem borer
Dectes texanus is a native North American longhorn beetle (Cerambycidae: Lamiinae) that has emerged as a significant agricultural pest of soybeans and sunflowers in the Midwestern and Great Plains regions of the United States. Adults are characterized by antennae longer than their bodies and a pale gray coloration. Larvae tunnel inside plant stems from July through October, then girdle the stem base internally before overwintering, causing pre-harvest lodging and yield losses. The species has expanded its range and pest status dramatically since the 1980s, correlating with increased soybean acreage and adoption of no-till farming practices. Originally associated with wild hosts including ragweed and cocklebur, it colonized cultivated soybeans approximately 50 years ago.
Pardosa lapidicina
Stone Spider
Pardosa lapidicina, commonly known as the stone spider, is a small wolf spider in the family Lycosidae. It inhabits cobble beaches and rocky shorelines near water, particularly above the tide line. The species exhibits distinctive migration patterns tied to tidal cycles and seasonal temperature changes. Research has documented its use of sit-and-wait foraging behavior combined with sun-basking, and its diet includes small arthropods such as dipterans, collembolans, and amphipods. Males recognize females through a contact sex pheromone located on the female's carapace and legs, requiring physical contact for detection.
Semanotus japonicus
sugi bark borer, Cryptomeria bark borer
Semanotus japonicus is a cerambycid beetle native to Japan that attacks living Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica). Larvae feed primarily within the inner bark of trunks, where they are vulnerable to drowning by resin flow. The species exhibits a transitional ecological state between primary and secondary bark borer, requiring adequate host nutrition but lacking defenses against host resin defenses. Adults are relatively sedentary, with limited between-tree movement and nocturnal mating activity concentrated from sunset to sunrise.