Abstract
Sex pheromones of nocturnal hawk moths have been identified previously, but not those of diurnal hawk moths. Here, we report laboratory analyses and field testing of the sex pheromone of the diurnal hawk moth, Hemaris affinis (Bremer 1861) (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae). Sex pheromone glands were removed and extracted in hexane during peak calling activity of virgin female moths. Analysis of gland extracts by gas chromatography (GC) with electroantennographic detection revealed three components that elicited responses from male moth antennae. These components were identified, based on their mass spectra and retention indices on two GC columns, as (Z)-11-hexadecenal and (10E, 12Z)- and (10E,12E)-10,12-hexadecadienals with a ratio of 45:20:35. In a field experiment, traps baited with the three-component synthetic blend, but none of the single- or two-component blends, caught male moths. All three pheromone components have been identified previously in pheromones of other Lepidoptera, including Sphingid moths, and thus the ternary blend is probably responsible for the species specificity of the pheromone of this moth.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Dr. DeMar Taylor for critical reading of the manuscript and Mr. Takahiro Yano for providing important information. We also are grateful to the members of the Laboratory of Applied Entomology in Tottori University, especially Ms. Kanako Ohbayashi and Mr. Seto Yasufuku for help with field bioassays and insect rearing. This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows.
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Uehara, T., Naka, H., Matsuyama, S. et al. Identification of the Sex Pheromone of the Diurnal Hawk Moth, Hemaris affinis . J Chem Ecol 41, 9–14 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-014-0537-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-014-0537-7