title: (Z)-9-tricosene identified in rectal gland extracts of Bactrocera oleae males: first evidence of a male-produced female attractant in olive fruit fly.
abstract: It is well-known that Bactrocera oleae (olive fruit fly) females attract conspecific males by using 1,7-dioxaspiro[5,5]undecane (1) as the main component of their sex pheromone, and that 1 is produced in the female rectal gland. Although some authors have claimed that B. oleae males also attract females, to date no male-produced female attractants have been found in this species. In this paper, we report the first identification of a substance unique to males and able to attract females. The findings of the study include the following: (1) females responded in a bioassay to hexane extracts obtained from rectal glands of 15-day-old B. oleae males, (2) the presence of (Z)-9-tricosene (2) was consistently and unambiguously identified in these extracts using gas chromatography (GC) and GC-mass spectrometry methods, (3) in preliminary bioactivity tests, low doses (equivalent to a few males) of chemically and stereoisomerically pure synthetic (Z)-9-tricosene (2) attracted olive fruit fly females. Interestingly, compound 2, commonly called muscalure, is also a well-known component of the house fly (Musca domestica) sex pheromone.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, Università di Pisa, Via Risorgimento 35, 56100 Pisa, Italy. adricar@dcci.unipi.it
authors.forename: Adriano
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carpita
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Canale
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Raffaelli
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saba
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Benelli
authors.forename: Alfio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Raspi
mesh_terms: D000475:Alkenes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D012724:Sex Attractants / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D033621:Tephritidae / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000475:Alkenes; D012724:Sex Attractants; C003646:muscalure