title: Female Sex Pheromone in Trails of the Minute Pirate Bug, Orius minutus (L).
abstract: Orius minutus (L.) (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae) is a natural enemy of agricultural pests such as thrips, aphids, and various newly hatched insect juveniles. In this study, we conducted 1) behavioral assays for evidence of contact sex pheromone activity in trails of O. minutus, and 2) chemical analysis to identify the essential chemical components of the trails. Males showed arrestment to trails of mature virgin females but not to trails from either conspecific nymphs or immature females. Females also showed arrestment to trails from conspecific males, although the response was weaker than that exhibited by males. The activity of female trails lasted for at least 46 h after deposition. Males showed a response irrespective of mating experience. Following confirmation that a contact sex pheromone was present in the trails of female O. minutus, we used a bioassay-driven approach to isolate the active chemicals. After fractionation on silica gel, the n-hexane fraction was found to be biologically active to males. A major compound in the active fraction was (Z)-9-nonacosene; this compound was found only in trail extracts of mature virgin females. Synthetic (Z)-9-nonacosene arrested O. minutus males, indicating that it is the major active component of the contact sex pheromone in the trails of female O. minutus.
authors.affiliation: Insect Interaction Research Unit, National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, NARO, 1-2 Ohwashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0851, Japan. tarom@affrc.go.jp.
authors.forename: Taro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Chemical Ecology, Central Region Agricultural Research Center, NARO, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8666, Japan.
authors.forename: Nao
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fujiwara-Tsujii
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Chemical Ecology, Central Region Agricultural Research Center, NARO, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8666, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroe
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yasui
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1, Tennoudai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8572, Japan.
authors.forename: Shigeru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsuyama
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D020062:Heteroptera / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects*; D006586:Hexanes / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D012724:Sex Attractants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D012997:Solvents / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D006586:Hexanes; D012724:Sex Attractants; D012997:Solvents
keywords: Anthocoridae; Heteroptera; Mating behavior; Monoalkene; Natural enemy; Sex pheromone; Trail