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Female sex pheromones in the host races and hybrids of the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

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Abstract

The three major pheromone components found in gland extracts of both rice and corn strain Spodoptera frugiperda virgin females were Z9-14:Ac, Z11-16:Ac and Z7-12:Ac, However, both the concentrations and relative proportions of the compounds varied significantly between strains as a function of female age and the time during the scotophase that the glands were extracted. The concentration of Z9-14:Ac found in the glands of hybrid females, coming from corn × rice and rice × corn crosses differed significantly, but in both cases did not differ significantly from that of maternal line females. The results suggest that synthesis is controlled, at least in part, by the W chromosome. Given the intraspecific variability reported in other species of Lepidoptera, both with respect to female pheromone production and male responsiveness, it would appear rather unlikely that these differences alone would be sufficient to ensure reproductive isolation of the two strains.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank J. Gobeil, A. Labrecque and N. Lima for their assistance in the insect rearing and observations of calling females. This research was funded by a NSERC discover grant to JNM and EL was supported by a scholarship from CNPq.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Biologia Animal, Entomologia, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, 36570-000, Brazil

    Eraldo R. Lima

  2. The Department of Biology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 5B7, Canada

    Jeremy N. McNeil

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  1. Eraldo R. Lima
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  2. Jeremy N. McNeil
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Correspondence to Jeremy N. McNeil.

Additional information

Soon after we had received Lima's and McNeil's manuscript, the authors informed us that similar analyses and results presented by another team just became available on line as a provisional PDF:

de Groot A, Marr M, Scofl G, Lorenz S, Svatos A, Heckel D (2008) Host strain specific sex pheromone variation in Spodoptera frugiperda. Front Zool 5:20. doi:10.1186/1742-9994-5-20. Published: 25 December 2008

Considering that the two studies were obviously conducted independently and simultaneously, we decided to accept publication of Lima's and McNeil's contribution.

Jacques M. Pasteels and Wittko Francke, Editors-in-Chief

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Lima, E.R., McNeil, J.N. Female sex pheromones in the host races and hybrids of the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Chemoecology 19, 29–36 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00049-009-0005-y

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