Sound production in scolytidae: 'rivalry' behaviour of male Dendroctonus beetles

Intrasex response of two males at the gallery of an attractive female included ‘rivalry’ stridulation that was distinct in certain acoustic properties from chirps evoked by the female attractant. With the southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis, comparison of chirps evoked by natural and synthetic chemostimulus confirmed that myrtenol is part of the female attractant, that verbenone is multifunctional according to its concentration, and that endo-brevicomin has a rivalry function as well as its anti-aggregative effect. Considerable acoustic specificity was apparent in tested chirps of three bark beetles.