Chemotaxonomy of the Cotton Leaf-Roller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in Japan with Special Reference to Differences in Sex Pheromones

Abstract

Male responses to virgin females' signals, pheromone gland extracts and synthetic pheromone blends, as well as pheromone profiles, were compared among four populations of the cotton leaf-roller collected from the Chinese bottle tree (CBT), the linden tree (LND), the cotton-rosemallow (CRM) and the hibiscus (HBS). Neither virgin female moths nor the sex pheromone gland extracts of the female CBT and LND had any cross-attractiveness for the male CRM and HBS. Highly unsuccessful cross mating and genetic incompatibility were also observed between the CBT and the CRM. (E, Z) and (E, E)-10, 12-16: ALDs were detected in the pheromone gland of the female CBT and LND in a ratio of 77.0:23.0 and 78.5:21.5, respectively, but only (E, Z)-10, 12-16: ALD was found in the female CRM and HBS. These analytical results agreed well the results of bioassays performed with synthetic compounds in a cage. The male CBT and LND responded well to 7:3 and 8:2 mixtures of synthetic (E, Z)- and (E, E)-10, 12-16: ALDs, as did the male CRM and HBS to 9:1 and 10:0 mixtures of these isomers. The first two populations of the cotton leaf-roller seemed to have been already reproductively isolated from the last two. From these results, and with reference to the morphological and biological differences reported on earlier, we confirmed that the cotton leaf-roller in Japan is comprised of Notarcha basipunctalis (BREM.) (CBT and LND) and N derogata (FAB). (CRM and HBS).