Abstract
The grass webworm Herpetogramma licarsisalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), which has recently established in pasture in Northland, New Zealand, is an important pest of many tropical and subtropical grasses. Two pheromone components, (Z)-11-hexadecen-1-yl acetate (Z11–16:Ac) and (11Z,13E)-hexadecadien-1-yl acetate (Z11,E13–16:Ac), were identified in pheromone gland extracts of female moths by gas chromatography (GC), GC-electroantennographic detection, and GC-mass spectrometry in conjunction with microchemical tests (dimethyldisulfide and 4-methyl-1,2,4-triazoline-3,5-dione derivatizations). Z11,E13–16:Ac and its geometric isomer (11E,13Z)-hexadecadien-1-yl acetate (E11,Z13–16:Ac) were synthesized via stereoselective Wittig reactions, and the identity of the diene present in the pheromone glands was confirmed to be Z11,E13–16:Ac. Field bioassays at Indooroopilly in Brisbane, Australia, established that Z11,E13–16:Ac was necessary and sufficient for attraction of male grass webworm moths and that the corresponding alcohol, (11Z,13E)-hexadecadien-1-ol (Z11,E13–16:OH), had a strong inhibitory effect on trap catches at the ratios tested. When mixed with Z11,E13–16:Ac in various ratios, Z11–16:Ac had no effect on the attractiveness of lures.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Julie Hackett, Peter Jones, and Kirsten Moss for the technical assistance in rearing insects, and Barry Bunn and Dave Rogers for commenting on an earlier version of the manuscript. Eric Jang (USDA-ARS) and his team assisted in trapping in Hawaii. Funding was provided by the New Zealand Foundation for Research, Science, and Technology (FRST), under the “Better Border Biosecurity” and previous programs, to develop scientific capability to respond to biosecurity incursions. We are also grateful to the University of Kalmar, Sweden, for the additional financial support.
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Gibb, A.R., Suckling, D.M., El-Sayed, A.M. et al. (11Z,13E)-Hexadecadien-1-yl Acetate: Sex Pheromone of the Grass Webworm Herpetogramma licarsisalis—Identification, Synthesis, and Field Bioassays. J Chem Ecol 33, 839–847 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-007-9259-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-007-9259-4