Abstract
The major and possibly only component of the sex attractant pheromone of the moth Hemileuca nevadensis (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) from southern California was determined to be (E10,Z12)-hexadecadienal (E10,Z12-16:Ald). Detectable quantities of the analogs (E10,Z12)-hexadecadien-1-yl acetate (E10,Z12-16:Ac) and (E10,Z12)-hexadecadien-1-ol (E10,Z12-16:OH) were also present in solvent extracts of sex pheromone glands, and stimulated male antennae in coupled gas chromatography-electroantennogram detector (GC-EAD) assays. GC-EAD traces from solid phase microextraction (SPME) wipe samples of sex pheromone glands of calling females confirmed the presence of E10,Z12-16:Ald and traces of E10,Z12-16:OH on the gland surface, but E10,Z12-16:Ac was not detected. Despite evidence for the presence of all three compounds in extracts, behavioral responses to synthetic compounds in the field suggested that only E10,Z12-16:Ald is required for optimal attraction.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data Availability
Samples of pheromone components are available from JGM upon request.Voucher specimens have been submitted to the Entomology Museum, University of California, Riverside.
References
Legge JT, Roush R, Desalle R, Vogler AP, May B (1996) Genetic criteria for establishing evolutionarily significant units in Cryan’s buckmoth. Conserv Biol 10:85–98
McElfresh JS, Millar JG (1999a) Sex pheromone of the common sheep moth, Hemileuca eglanterina, from the San Gabriel Mountains of California. J Chem Ecol 25:687–709
McElfresh JS, Millar JG (1999b) Sex pheromone of Nuttall’s sheep moth, Hemileuca nuttalli, from the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. J Chem Ecol 25:711–726
McElfresh JS, Millar JG (1999c) Sex pheromone of saturniid moth. Coloradia velda J Chem Ecol 25:1067–1078
McElfresh JS, Millar JG (1999d) Geographic variation in sex pheromone blend of Hemileuca electra from southern California. J Chem Ecol 25:2505–2525
McElfresh JS, Millar JG (2001) Geographic variation in the pheromone system of the Saturniid moth Hemileuca eglanterina. Ecology 82:3505–3518
McElfresh JS, Millar JG (2008) Sex pheromone of the Saturniid moth, Hemileuca burnsi, from the western Mojave desert of California. J Chem Ecol 34:1115–1124
McElfresh JS, Chen X, Ross DW, Millar JG (2000) Sex pheromone blend of the Pandora moth (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae), an outbreak pest in pine forests (Pinaceae). Can Entomol 132:775–787
McElfresh JS, Hammond AM, Millar JG (2001) Sex pheromone components of the buck moth Hemileuca maia. J Chem Ecol 27:1409–1422
Rubinoff D, Sperling FAH (2004) Mitochondrial DNA sequence, morphology and ecology yield contrasting conservation implications for two threatened buckmoths (Hemileuca: Saturniidae). Biol Conserv 118:341–351
Schowalter TD, Ring DR (2017) Biology and management of the Buck Moth, Hemileuca maia (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae). J Integ Pest Manage 8:1–5
Tuskes PM, Tuttle JP, Collins MM (1996) The Wild Silk moths of North America: a natural history of the Saturniidae of the United States and Canada. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York
Tuttle JP, Carr TW, Collins MM (2020) An interpretation of the impact of the Wisconsin glaciation on the Hemileuca maia/nevadensis complex (Saturniidae) of the Great Lakes region. J Lepidop Soc 74:18–30
Tuttle JP, Springer JT, Carr TW (2021a) Pheromone differentiation and reproductive isolation between two buck moth (Hemileuca: Saturniidae) populations in Sussex County, New Jersey. J Lepidop Soc 75:74–78
Tuttle JP, Partain LJ, Dempwolf WR (2021b) Reciprocal pheromone response between two Texas Buck moths in the Hemileuca maia group. (Saturniidae). J Lepidop Soc 75:158–161
Acknowledgements
We thank Chris Conlan for the donation of insects used in this study, David Hawks and Guy Bruyea for field collection of adult moths, and the staff of the Orange County Water district at the Prado Basin for their permission and help in conducting field trials, Bonnie Nash, Scott Nygren, Talula Barbee, and especially David McMichaels.
Funding
The authors appreciate funding from Hatch project CA-R*ENT-5181 H to JGM.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
JSM prepared and analyzed pheromone gland extracts, carried out all field trials and statistical analyses of the data, and drafted the manuscript. JGM assisted with identification of the bioactive compounds, synthesized the putative pheromone components, and assisted with drafting the manuscript.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing Interests
The authors declare that they have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
McElfresh, J.S., Millar, J.G. Sex Pheromone of the Saturniid Moth Hemileuca nevadensis from Southern California. J Chem Ecol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-024-01506-w
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-024-01506-w