title: (R)-acetoin-female sex pheromone of the summer chafer Amphimallon solstitiale (L.).
abstract: Extracts of Amphimallon solstitiale (L.), a well known, widely distributed and rather common European scarab beetle, were analyzed by GC-MS and GC-EAD. Acetoin - (R):(S) > 9:1 - as well as 2,3-butanediol - (2R,3R): (2S,3S):meso = 1:1:9 - were present in extracts of both males and females. Although (2S,3S)-butanediol did not show any EAD activity, the other compounds elicited strong responses exclusively with male antennae. In contrast, several EAD active green leaf volatiles were detected equally well by male and female antennae. During preliminary field bioassays, (R)-acetoin was highly attractive to swarming males, whereas neither rac-acetoin nor the 2,3-butanediols showed activity. Therefore, (R)-acetoin is the female sex pheromone of A. solstitiale.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Organische Chemie, Universität Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 6, D-20146 Hamburg, Germany. tolasch@entomologie.de
authors.forename: Till
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tolasch
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sölter
authors.forename: Miklós
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tóth
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ruther
authors.forename: Wittko
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Francke
mesh_terms: D000093:Acetoin / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001681:Biological Assay; D001517:Coleoptera / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005426:Flight, Animal; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement; D012724:Sex Attractants / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D012724:Sex Attractants; D000093:Acetoin