Sex Pheromone Communication System in Hawk Moths

Abstract

Sphingidae (hawk moths) is one of the largest families in Bombycoidea and includes approximately 1450 species worldwide. Hawk moths have varying life cycles, interesting flight behavior (hovering at flowers), include both nocturnal and diurnal species, and have a large body size and long proboscis, making them valuable subjects for studies across a broad range of biological fields. Hawk moths also provide useful subjects for studies on sex pheromone communication systems; however, they remain to be further explored. We have determined the chemical structures of sphingid sex pheromone components, and evaluated their biological activity in both the field and the laboratory. The compound (10E,12Z)-hexadecadienal, known as bombykal, and its analogues are sex pheromone components in many hawk moth species. In this chapter, we discuss the sex pheromone communication system of hawk moths with reference to the similarity and dissimilarity of pheromone components.