Abstract
Although the nymphs of Corythucha marmorata form clusters on the undersides of host plant leaves, as frequently observed for Hemiptera, the adults are scattered in the vicinity of the nymph population. By investigating the biological activities of volatile secretions from the adult, we found that the secretions activated male mounting behaviour. A chemical analysis revealed that borneol was a common component of the secretions from both sexes. The absolute configuration of the natural product was the (+)-enantiomer of borneol and the optical isomer was undetectable. Although (+)-borneol showed significant sex pheromone activity against males, the antipode (−)-borneol also induced sex pheromone activity, albeit only slightly. Males may not have a strict identification mechanism based on stereochemistry. To verify the origin of this sex pheromone, we analysed the components of the essential oil of the leaves of Solidago canadensis L. (Compositae: Asteraceae), a host plant; bornyl acetate was detected to be a major component. The plant-produced bornyl acetate had different stereochemistry from the sex pheromone. The results suggested that the adults do not utilise the secondary metabolites of plants but biosynthesise this sex pheromone themselves. This is the first report on sex pheromone identification in Tingidae.
Highlights
The nymphs of Corythucha marmorata form clusters on the undersides of host plant leaves, as frequently observed for Hemiptera, the adults are scattered in the vicinity of the nymph population
To verify whether the (+)-borneol that we identified as a sex pheromone is derived from components of the plants that are eaten by the insect, the essential oil components were obtained from the leaves of S. canadensis by steam distillation and analysed using Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)
Some species of Tingidae are known to use the alarm pheromone for conspecific communication[6,7,8,9]; the sex pheromone related to sexual excitation has not yet been elucidated
Summary
The nymphs of Corythucha marmorata form clusters on the undersides of host plant leaves, as frequently observed for Hemiptera, the adults are scattered in the vicinity of the nymph population. The results suggested that the adults do not utilise the secondary metabolites of plants but biosynthesise this sex pheromone themselves. This is the first report on sex pheromone identification in Tingidae. The hexane extract of the adults significantly activated the mounting behaviour of males; the aim of this study was to identify the sex pheromone in these volatile secretions from the exocrine glands of adults. To determine whether the sex pheromone is biosynthesised by the adults themselves or derived from the plants they eat, the components of the essential oil of the leaves of one of its host plants, S. canadensis, were obtained by steam distillation and identified
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