Quantity and Ratio of Pheromone Components Among Multiple Generations of the Nantucket Pine Tip Moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in Georgia and Virginia

Abstract

Abstract The quantity and ratio of two sex pheromone components in the abdominal gland of Rhyacionia frustrana (Comstock) were determined for three generations from the Georgia Piedmont, two generations from the Georgia Coastal Plain, and one generation from the Virginia Coastal Plain. There were no significant differences among quantities of either pheromone component among any generations or collection sites. Quantities for the major component, (E)-9-dodecen-1-yl acetate, varied among the samples from 10.8 to 18.6 ng per adult female. Similarly, quantities for the minor component, (E)-9,11-dodecadien-1-yl acetate, varied from 0.5 to 0.9 ng per female. Ratios were significantly different only between the second generation Georgia Coastal Plain and first-generation Virginia Coastal Plain, although we do not think these differences are biologically meaningful. Pheromone component ratios for the major and minor component ranged from 16.5:1–23.4:1 among all sites. The significance of these findings as they r...