No population-level variation in cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of a major agricultural pest, the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei

Abstract The Coffee Berry Borer (CBB) Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) is an important pest species that has invaded all major coffee-producing areas of the world, causing tremendous economic losses every year. Since its discovery on the island of Jamaica approximately 40 years ago, the beetle has moved from lowland regions with comparably warm and dry climates to higher altitudes with cooler and wetter conditions in the Blue Mountains. Some insects have been shown to react to such environmental variation with changes in their cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profiles. To investigate if this is also the case in CBBs, we characterized the CHC profiles of beetles collected from different farms varying in altitude and climate across Jamaica and from one farm in Panama. We found that the CHC profiles of CBBs are mainly composed of straight-chain alkanes and methyl-branched alkanes, and that differences in farm location or rearing conditions (lab or field) may not necessarily result in CHC variation. The coffee berries provide a microclimate which protects the beetles from the conditions outside the coffee berries for the majority of their life cycles, thus potentially buffering this major pest from external environmental selection pressures.