| Title: | Identification of sex pheromone components of blueberry spanworm Itame argillacearia (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) |
| Author(s): | De Silva EC; Silk PJ; Mayo P; Hillier NK; MaGee D; Cutler GC; |
| Address: | "Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, P.O. 550, Truro, NS, B2N 5E3, Canada" |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10886-013-0337-5 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1573-1561 (Electronic) 0098-0331 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Blueberry spanworm, Itame argillacearia (Packard), is an important defoliator of lowbush (syn. 'wild') blueberry, Vaccinium angustifolium Aiton, in north-eastern North America. The goal of the present study was to identify the female I. argillacearia sex pheromone, which could be used in traps for monitoring or mass-trapping this pest. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and electroantennogram (EAG) recordings of sex pheromone gland extracts, in combination with chemical synthesis, a Y-tube olfactometer study and field experiments confirmed (2R,3S)-2-ethyl-3-((Z,Z)-tridecadi-2,5-enyl) oxirane (hereafter (Z,Z)-(3R,4S)-3,4-epoxy-6,9-heptadecadiene) and (Z,Z,Z)-3,6,9-heptadecatriene as female-produced sex pheromone components. (Z,Z)-(3R,4S)-3,4-Epoxy-6,9-heptadecadiene elicited a response from male I. argillacearia antennae during EAG recording, and in the Y-tube olfactometer tests males did not discriminate between a live female and (Z,Z)-(3R,4S)-3,4-epoxy-6,9-heptadecadiene. Field-trapping experiments showed that a blend of (Z,Z)-(3R,4S)-3,4-epoxy-6,9-heptadecadiene and (Z,Z,Z)-3,6,9-heptadecatriene was more attractive to male moths than (Z,Z)-(3R,4S)-3,4-epoxy-6,9-heptadecadiene alone" |
| Keywords: | Animals Female Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Lepidoptera/*physiology Male Sex Attractants/*chemistry/physiology; |
| Notes: | "MedlineDe Silva, E C A Silk, P J Mayo, P Hillier, N K Magee, D Cutler, G C eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't 2013/08/28 J Chem Ecol. 2013 Sep; 39(9):1169-81. doi: 10.1007/s10886-013-0337-5. Epub 2013 Aug 27" |
