The response of Cosmopolites sordidus (Germar, 1824) to the volatiles of its host banana plant (Musa paradisiaca cv. Prata) and conspecific adults was studied. In olfactometer, the attraction of males and females of C. sordidus to rhizome and pseudotem of the banana, fresh or rotting, was observed. The results suggested that the aggregation pheromone is produced by males and that it attracts both sexes, and that there is another pheromone produced by females which attracts males only. The results also suggest that the females are the first responsible for the aggregation of the species, but the male pheromone is mainly responsible for the mass aggregation. Nevertheless, the aggregation phenomenon is a consequence of the mutual action of both pheromones plus the kairomones produced by the banana plant.
Cosmopolites sordidus; Banana weevil; agregation pheromone; kairomone; olfactometer