| Title: | "Presence of Putative Male-Produced Sex Pheromone in Lutzomyia cruciata (Diptera: Psychodidae), Vector of Leishmania mexicana" |
| Author(s): | Serrano AK; Rojas JC; Cruz-Lopez LC; Malo EA; Mikery OF; Castillo A; |
| Address: | "Ecologia de Artropodos y Manejo de Plagas, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR), Carretera Antiguo Aeropuerto km 2.5, Tapachula, Chiapas, C.P 30700, Mexico (akserrano@ecosur.edu.mx; jrojas@ecosur.mx; lcruz@ecosur.mx; emr@ecosur.mx; omikery@ecosur.edu.mx; acastill@ecosur.mx) akserrano@ecosur.edu.mx. Ecologia de Artropodos y Manejo de Plagas, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR), Carretera Antiguo Aeropuerto km 2.5, Tapachula, Chiapas, C.P 30700, Mexico (akserrano@ecosur.edu.mx; jrojas@ecosur.mx; lcruz@ecosur.mx; emr@ecosur.mx; omikery@ecosur.edu.mx; acastill@ecosur.mx)" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1938-2928 (Electronic) 0022-2585 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Lutzomyia cruciata (Coquillet) is a vector of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Mexico and Central America. However, several aspects of its ecology and behavior are unknown, including whether a male pheromone partially mediates the sexual behavior of this sand fly. In this study, we evaluated the behavioral response of females to male abdominal extracts in a Y-tube olfactometer. The volatile compounds from male abdominal extracts were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and compared with those of female abdominal extracts. Finally, the disseminating structures of the putative sex pheromone were examined by scanning electron microscopy in the male abdomen. Females were more attracted to male abdominal extract than to the hexane control, suggesting the presence of male-produced sex pheromone. The male abdominal extracts were characterized by the presence of 12 sesquiterpene compounds. The major component, an unknown sesquiterpene with an abundance of 60%, had a mass spectrum with molecular ion of m/z 262. In contrast, the abdominal female extracts contained saturated fatty acids. Finally, we detected the presence of small 'papules' with a mammiform morphology distributed on the abdominal surface of tergites IV-VII of male Lu. cruciata These structures are not present in females. We conclude that Lu. cruciata males likely produce a pheromone involved in attracting or courting females" |
| Keywords: | "Abdomen Animals *Chemotaxis Exocrine Glands/ultrastructure Female Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Male Mexico Microscopy, Electron, Scanning Olfactometry Psychodidae/*physiology/ultrastructure Sex Attractants/*physiology Pheromone sand fly sesquiterp;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineSerrano, A K Rojas, J C Cruz-Lopez, L C Malo, Edi A Mikery, O F Castillo, A eng England 2016/08/20 J Med Entomol. 2016 Nov; 53(6):1261-1267. doi: 10.1093/jme/tjw118. Epub 2016 Aug 18" |
