Defining a synthetic pheromone blend attractive to male Heliothis subflexa under wind tunnel conditions.
Heliothis subflexa males were flown in a wind tunnel to a variety of combinations of synthetic pheromone components admixed (on a filter paper disk. Blends containing (Z)-l1-hexadecenal (Z11-16:Ald, 1000 ng), (Z)-9-hexadecenal (Z9-16:Ald, 500 ng) and (Z)-11-hexadecenol (Z11-16:OH, 10-500 ng) elicited upwind flight and source contact in 52-69% of males. All these compounds have previously been isolated and identified from female H. subflexa gland extracts and volatile pheromone emissions. Males were not attracted by blends in which Z9-16:Ald was omitted (0% source contact). Similarly, blends lacking Z11-16:OH were unattractive to male H. subflexa (39% or less source contact). Males were extremely sensitive to the presence of Z11-16:OH; ever, responding in high numbers (57-69% source contact) to blends containing a dosage of 1% (10 ng) or greater Z11-16:OH. Males were unresponsive to blends in which Z9-16:Ald was replaced with a variety of dosages of (Z)-9tetradecenal, a secondary component of a closely-related congeneric species, Heliothis virescens. Another compound present in the blend emitted by con-specific females, (Z)-11-hexadecenyl acetate (Z11-16:Ac), did not inhibit H. subflexa males (69% source contact) when added to the three-component mixture (1:0.5:0.1) at a ratio of 0.1 (100 ng) with respect to Z11-16:Ald. These results indicate that Z9-16:Ald and Z11-16:OH are required in addition to Z11-16:Ald to elicit significant levels of upwind flight in H. subflexa males. The effects of Z11-16:Ac are more subtle, but at the dosage tested in these experiments, this compound does not have an antagonistic effect on upwind flight and source location by H. subflexa males.
Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City 84112, USA. vickers@biology.utah.edu
Neil J
NJ
Vickers
D000818:Animals; D008297:Male; D009036:Moths / Q000502:physiology*; D012724:Sex Attractants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*
D012724:Sex Attractants