RESUMEN
By using solid phase micro-extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses, a sex pheromone blend for the stem borer, Sesamia cretica Lederer (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), was identified as consisting of (Z)-9-tetradecen-1-ol (80%), (Z)-9-tetradecen-1-yl acetate (10%), and (Z)-11-hexadecen-1-ol (10%). The first two components had previously been discovered as attractants for S. cretica in field tests, but had not been identified in the female's sex pheromone gland. A field-trapping trial showed that the three-component blend gave the highest catches of male S. cretica. This blend, in a sticky trap, was used to monitor a population of S. cretica in Iran, allowing the seasonal flight activity of this insect to be compared with that of a sympatric population of S. nonagrioides. The role of pheromones in the reproductive isolation of these species is discussed.
Asunto(s)
Ácidos Grasos Monoinsaturados/análisis , Alcoholes Grasos/análisis , Mariposas Nocturnas/fisiología , Atractivos Sexuales/análisis , Animales , Conducta Animal/efectos de los fármacos , Ácidos Grasos Monoinsaturados/farmacología , Alcoholes Grasos/farmacología , Femenino , Cromatografía de Gases y Espectrometría de Masas , Masculino , Mariposas Nocturnas/efectos de los fármacos , Atractivos Sexuales/farmacología , Microextracción en Fase SólidaRESUMEN
Laboratory and field investigations were carried out to characterize the chemical communication system of the date palm fruit stalk borer, Oryctes elegans, and to develop pheromone-based trapping in Eastern Iran. Adults of both sexes feeding on date palm pieces attracted conspecifics, whereas date palm alone was minimally attractive. Males were twice as attractive as females. More beetles were captured at the palm crown than at ground level. Odors from adults feeding on sugarcane were sampled and analyzed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Whereas females did not emit sex specific volatiles, males emitted a blend of 4-methyloctanoic acid (1: major component) and ethyl 4-methyloctanoate (2), occasionally mixed with minor components: 4-methyloctanyl acetate (3), methyl 4-methyloctanoate (4), 4-methyloctanol (5), and nonanyl acetate (6). Electroantennography and field trapping experiments demonstrated that compound 1 is an essential component of the male aggregation pheromone of O. elegans. It was barely attractive by itself but synergistic with fresh date palm odor. It attracted many more beetles than any of compounds 2-6. The addition of one or several of compounds 2-6 to 1 did not improve trap captures. During the course of 2 years, we captured 4000 beetles, with a weekly average of 6.3 beetles/trap, and were able to monitor the seasonal flight of O. elegans. Our results provide the basis for developing mass trapping for control of this pest.