Ann M. Ray

San Gabriel Mts., CA, USA

Hanks Lab
Department of Entomology

320 Morrill Hall

505 S. Goodwin Ave.

Urbana, IL 61801

phone: 217-333-7783

fax: 217-244-3499

annray(at)life.uiuc.edu

            B.A. Biology, Bellarmine University, Louisville KY
            M.S. Entomology, University of Illinois
            Ph.D. candidate Entomology, University of Illinois

[Research] [About Me] [Publications] [CV] [Department of Entomology] [Links]

RESEARCH
I study the evolution of pheromone communication in the longhorned beetle subfamily Cerambycinae, integrating chemical ecology, natural history, morphology, and systematics.

For my MS thesis, I surveyed 64 species in the subfamily Cerambycinae for the presence of gland pores associated with volatile pheromone production in male beetles. Gland pores were present in males, absent in females of 48 species. Gland pores were absent in both sexes of the remaining 16 species. I found variation in the presence or absence of gland pores among closely related species, suggesting that long-range pheromone production is an evolutionary labile trait (see publications Ray et al. 2006).

My PhD research builds on my previous work to understand evolution of the pheromone gland pore trait (and presumably volatile pheromone production) in the Cerambycidae. I have recently extended my morphological study to include 123 species from seven cerambycid subfamilies. Over the past three years, I have conducted field research in California and southern Arizona, taking advantage of the diverse and well-characterized cerambycid faunas of those areas. I have identified sex-specific, “candidate” pheromones in species of four cerambycine tribes in collaboration with Dr. Jocelyn Millar, at the University of California Riverside. I am examining histological sections of prothoraces of males and females of 40 species to strengthen the relationship between external pores and subcuticular pheromone glands. I am also constructing a molecular phylogeny for the tribes of the subfamily Cerambycinae, providing an evolutionary framework for understanding taxonomic distribution of pheromones/ pheromone gland pores.

Megacheuma brevipenne Psalignathus modestus (photo Ian Swift) Deliathus quadritaeniator (photo Ian Swift)
ABOUT ME
Outside of my lab and field research, I have been a volunteer "Bug-Op" with the Bugscope project since 2004. Bugscope is an educational outreach program that provides K-16 students with web-based access to a scanning electron microscope. Check it out!! I also enjoy many eclectic hobbies including cooking/baking, drawing, running, knitting, and singing.

Sonora, Mexico: July 2006
photos by Dr. Barney Streit
(P.S. I swear I don't always wear this hat!)

PUBLICATIONS

Ginzel, M. D., J. A. Moreira, A. M. Ray, J. G. Millar, & L. M. Hanks. 2006. (Z)-9-nonacosene - major component of the contact sex pheromone of the beetle Megacyllene caryae. J. Chem. Ecol. 32: 435-451. (and online supplement)
Ray, A. M., E. S. Lacey, & L. M. Hanks. 2006. Predicted taxonomic patterns in pheromone production by longhorned beetles. Naturwissenschaften 93: 543-550.
Nearns, E. H., & A. M. Ray. 2006. A new species of Curius Newman (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) from Venezuela with notes on sexual dimorphism within the genus. Zootaxa 1256: 49-57.
Lacey, E. S., J. A. Moreira, J. G. Millar, A. M. Ray, & L. M. Hanks. 2007. Male-produced aggregation pheromone of the cerambycid beetle Neoclytus mucronatus mucronatus. Entomol. Exp. Appl. 122: 171–179.
Lacey, E. S., A. M. Ray, & L. M. Hanks. 2007. Calling behavior of the cerambycid beetle Neoclytus acuminatus acuminatus (F.). J. Insect Behavior 20: 117-128.
Hanks, L. M., J. G. Millar, J. A. Moreira, J. D. Barbour, E. S. Lacey, J. S. McElfresh, F. R. Reuter, & A. M. Ray. 2007. Using generic pheromone lures to expedite identification of aggregation pheromones for the cerambycid beetles Xylotrechus nauticus, Phymatodes lecontei, and Neoclytus modestus modestus. J. Chem. Ecol. 33: 889-907.

LINKS
All things bycidological: www.cerambycids.com
Catalog of the Cerambycidae of the New World
California Beelte Project, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
Instituto Nacional de Bioversidad Costa Rica