title: Sex Attractant Pheromone of the Luna Moth, Actias luna (Linnaeus).
abstract: Giant silk moths (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) typically are not well represented as larvae or adults in community level inventories of Lepidoptera, and as a result, little is known about their population dynamics. Furthermore, in recent years, many species of silk moths appear to have experienced population declines. Volatile sex pheromones are powerful sampling tools that can be used in operational conservation and monitoring programs for insects. Here, we describe the identification of the sex attractant pheromone of a giant silk moth, the luna moth Actias luna. Coupled gas chromatography-electroantennographic detection and gas chromatography-mass spectrometric analyses of extracts from pheromone glands of female luna moths supported the identification of (6E,11Z)-6,11-octadecadienal (E6,Z11-18:Ald), (6E)-6-octadecenal (E6-18:Ald), and (11Z)-11-octadecenal (Z11-18:Ald) as the compounds in extracts that elicited responses from antennae of male moths. These identifications were confirmed by synthesis, followed by testing of blends of the synthetic compounds in field trials in Ontario, Canada, and Kentucky, USA. Male moths were attracted to synthetic E6,Z11-18:Ald as a single component. Attraction appeared to be enhanced by addition of E6-18:Ald but not Z11-18:Ald, suggesting that the luna moth pheromone consists of a blend of E6,Z11-18:Ald and E6-18:Ald.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Entomology and Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA. jocelyn.millar@ucr.edu.
authors.forename: Jocelyn G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Millar
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40546, USA.
authors.forename: Kenneth F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Haynes
authors.affiliation: All Things Bugs LLC, 120 Mark Twain Circle, APT# L 5, Athens, GA, 30605, USA.
authors.forename: Aaron T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Dossey
authors.affiliation: Departments of Entomology and Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA.
authors.forename: J Steven
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: McElfresh
authors.affiliation: Natural Resources Canada - Canadian Forest Service, Great Lakes Forestry Centre, P6A 2E5, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Jeremy D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Allison
mesh_terms: D000447:Aldehydes / Q000032:analysis* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D005260:Female; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D007629:Kentucky; D008297:Male; D009036:Moths / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D009864:Ontario; D012724:Sex Attractants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D052617:Solid Phase Microextraction
chemical_list: D000447:Aldehydes; D012724:Sex Attractants
keywords: (11Z)-11-octadecenal; (6E)-6-octadecenal; (6E,11Z)-6,11-octadecadienal; Actias luna; Population monitoring, conservation; Saturniidae; Sex pheromone