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Naturwissenschaften

Title:		Male-produced anti-sex pheromone in a plant bug
Author(s):		Zhang QH; Aldrich JR;
Address:		"Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA"
Journal Title:		Naturwissenschaften
Year:		2003
Volume:		20030924
Issue:		11
Page Number:		505 - 508
DOI:		10.1007/s00114-003-0466-8
ISSN/ISBN:		0028-1042 (Print) 0028-1042 (Linking)
Abstract:		"In plant bugs (Miridae), females produce sex pheromones in the metathoracic scent gland, which in most other true bugs (Heteroptera) is responsible for chemical defense. The possibility that the metathoracic gland secretion of male plant bugs plays a role other than defense has been largely overlooked. Here we show that in a pine-inhabiting mirid, Phytocoris difficilis Knight, hexyl butyrate and ( E)-2-hexenyl butyrate are abundantly produced only in males; we demonstrate that these metathoracic gland compounds elicit strong antennal responses in conspecific males, and that these butyrates totally interrupt attraction of males to the female-produced sex pheromone. Our results suggest that in at least some plant bugs the male metathoracic scent gland esters have a natural communicative function as anti-sex pheromones, probably to interrupt further mating attempts by other males"
Keywords:		"Animals Chromatography, Gas Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Heteroptera/*physiology Male Pheromones/chemistry/*metabolism Pinus/*parasitology Sexual Behavior, Animal/*physiology;"
Notes:		"MedlineZhang, Qing-He Aldrich, Jeffery R eng Germany 2003/11/12 Naturwissenschaften. 2003 Nov; 90(11):505-8. doi: 10.1007/s00114-003-0466-8. Epub 2003 Sep 24"