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Sex Pheromone of the American Warble Fly, Dermatobia hominis: The Role of Cuticular Hydrocarbons

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Abstract

Chemical communication between adults of the American warble fly, Dermatobia hominis (Diptera: Oestridae), was investigated by electroantennography and behavioral bioassays. Significant electroantennographic responses were recorded from both sexes to hexane-soluble cuticular lipids from either sex. Olfactometer tests indicated an attraction between males and females, and between females. Copulatory behavior of males with a white knotted string treated with female extract confirmed production of a sexual stimulant by females. Such behavior was not observed in tests with male extract, demonstrating that the pheromone acts also as a sex recognition factor. Cuticular hydrocarbons of sexually mature female and male D. hominis were identified by Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and consist of a mixture of saturated n-, monomethyl-, and dimethylalkanes in both sexes. Sexual dimorphism was characterized by a higher relative concentration of dimethylalkanes in males and the presence of alkenes only in females.

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Acknowledgment

We thank Célia M. Sá for invaluable technical help with chromatography and Gabriela R. Chaves for indispensable assistance in collecting D. hominis larvae. We are also grateful to Steven J. Seybold and reviewers for their comments on the manuscript. This work is part of a Ph.D. thesis and was supported by CAPES fellowship to C.C.G.G., and FAPESP grant 98/01065-7 and CNPq fellowship to J.R.T.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Parasitologia Animal, Instituto de Veterinária, UFRRJ, Seropédica, BR 465, Km 07, Rio de Janeiro, 23890-000, Brazil

    Claudia Cristina Gulias Gomes

  2. Laboratório de Ecologia Química, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, UNICAMP, Caixa Postal 6109, 13083-970, Campinas, SP, Brazil

    José Roberto Trigo

  3. Laboratório de Ecologia Química de Insetos Vetores, Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, UFMG, Av. Presidente Antônio Carlos, 6627, Bloco I4, sala 158, 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil

    Álvaro Eduardo Eiras

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  1. Claudia Cristina Gulias Gomes
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  3. Álvaro Eduardo Eiras
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Correspondence to Claudia Cristina Gulias Gomes.

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Gulias Gomes, C.C., Trigo, J.R. & Eiras, Á.E. Sex Pheromone of the American Warble Fly, Dermatobia hominis: The Role of Cuticular Hydrocarbons. J Chem Ecol 34, 636–646 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-008-9473-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-008-9473-8

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