A male sex pheromone in a scorpionfly.
It has been postulated that males of a number of scorpionfly species produce sex pheromones. This is based on the observation that females often respond only to conspecific males when they evert their genital pouch, the proposed site of pheromone release. In this study, we prove that in Panorpa germanica (Mecoptera, Panorpidae), the eversion of a male's genital pouch is associated with the release of a volatile sex pheromone. In dual choice situations, females showed a high preference for 'calling' (males with everted genital pouch) over noncalling individuals. Volatiles emitted by males and females were collected and identified by coupled gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Two aldehydes [(2E,6Z)-nona-2,6-dienal and (E)-non-2-enal] were characteristic of calling males but not of noncalling or immature males or females. Bioassays with synthetic compounds confirmed that the identified substances are attractive to females. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first identification of a sex pheromone in scorpionflies.
Kock
Dagmar
D
Institut für Evolutionsbiologie und Okologie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität Bonn, An der Immenburg1, Bonn, Germany. dkock@evolution.uni-bonn.de
Ruther
Joachim
J
Sauer
Klaus Peter
KP
D000447:Aldehydes / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D007313:Insecta / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D012724:Sex Attractants / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*
D000447:Aldehydes; D012724:Sex Attractants; C013166:2-nonenal; C097196:2,6-nonadienal