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(3 Z ,6 Z ,9 Z ,12 Z ,15 Z )‐pentacosapentaene and (9 Z ,11 E )‐tetradecadienyl acetate: sex pheromone of the spruce coneworm Dioryctria abietella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)
Author(s) -
Löfstedt C.,
Svensson G. P.,
Jirle E. V.,
Rosenberg O.,
Roques A.,
Millar J. G.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of applied entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.795
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1439-0418
pISSN - 0931-2048
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-0418.2011.01619.x
Subject(s) - sex pheromone , pheromone , pyralidae , biology , lepidoptera genitalia , attraction , pheromone trap , pest analysis , botany , stereochemistry , chemistry , philosophy , linguistics
The spruce coneworm, Dioryctria abietella Denis & Schiffermüller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), is a major pest in spruce seed orchards in Europe. Initial work on its pheromone ecology reported significant attraction of males to (9 Z ,11 E )‐tetradecadienyl acetate (9 Z ,11 E ‐14:OAc), but this compound appeared to be a very weak attractant in field trials. In this study, we show that a second female‐produced compound, the polyunsaturated long‐chain hydrocarbon (3 Z ,6 Z ,9 Z ,12 Z ,15 Z )‐pentacosapentaene (C25 pentaene), is a strong synergist to 9 Z ,11 E ‐14:OAc, and that both compounds are needed for significant attraction of males. In field‐trapping experiments, the highest catches were obtained with high amounts of pentaene added to the acetate (acetate:pentaene ratio from 1 : 10 to 1 : 30) and the highest doses (1–3 mg per rubber septum dispenser) were the most attractive. Two potential behavioural synergists, ( Z )‐9‐tetradecenyl acetate and (9 Z ,12 E )‐tetradecadienyl acetate, turned out to be behavioural antagonists and both reduced trap catch of D. abietella in a dose‐dependent way when added individually to the binary blend. The recent discovery of the C25 pentaene as a pheromone component of D. abietella , as well as of three North American congeners, suggests that the use of a mixture of so‐called type I and type II pheromone compounds is a widespread motif of sexual communication within the genus. The identification of a highly attractive sex pheromone will help in developing efficient strategies for monitoring and control of D. abietella populations in European spruce seed orchards.