(R)-acetoin-female sex pheromone of the summer chafer Amphimallon solstitiale (L.).
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.
Tolasch
Till
T
Institut für Organische Chemie, Universität Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 6, D-20146 Hamburg, Germany. tolasch@entomologie.de
Sölter
Susanne
S
Tóth
Miklós
M
Ruther
Joachim
J
Francke
Wittko
W
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
D012724:Sex Attractants; D000093:Acetoin