Sex attractant pheromone of the pecan nut casebearer (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

✍ Scribed by Jocelyn G. Millar; Allen E. Knudson; J.Steven McElfresh; Regine Gries; Gerhard Gries; James H. Davis

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 988 KB
• Volume: 4
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0968-0896
• DOI: 10.1016/0968-0896(96)00010-7

✦ Synopsis

A female-produced sex pheromone for the pecan nut casebearer, Acrobasis nuxvorella Neunzig, has been identified from pheromone gland extracts of calling female moths. The compound (9E,11Z)-hexadecadienal [(9E,11Z)-16:Ald] was identified by coupled GC-EAD and retention time matches with a synthetic standard on four capillary GC columns of different polarities. Corroboration of the identification of (9E,11Z)-16:Ald by other analytical chemistry methods was not possible due to the minute quantities of pheromone extracted (< 1 picogram/female). In field studies, gray rubber septa impregnated with 100 micrograms of synthetic (9E,11Z)-16:Ald were attractive to male moths, whereas higher and lower doses were less attractive. The homologous (9E,11Z)-15:Ald was also slightly attractive while the more highly conjugated analogues, (9E,11Z,13Z)- and (9E,11Z,13E)-16:Ald, were not.