Specificity of male response to multicomponent pheromones in noctuid moths Trichoplusia ni and Pseudoplusia includens

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-1988

Abstract

The response of male cabbage looper (CL) and soybean iooper (SBL) moths was observed in the flight tunnel and measured in field tests to the six-component CL pheromone, the five-component SBL pheromone, and to Z7-12: OAc, the major component common to each pheromone. In both the flight tunnel and the field, male CL exhibited significantly greater levels of response to their six-component blend than to Z7-12: OAc alone. A low level of cross-attraction of male CL to the SBL pheromone was observed in both the flight tunnel and the field, but it was quantitatively and qualitatively similar to their response to Z7-12: OAc alone. Thus the minor components of the SBL blend did not appear to disrupt the flight behavior of male CL. With respect to SBL, in the flight tunnel males also exhibited a greater level of response to the five-component blend compared to Z7-12: OAc, but in the field their response was not significantly different to either treatment. There was also a low level of cross-attraction of male SBL to the CL blend, but this appeared to involve a significant arrestment effect on the upwind flight of males, as well as a difference in male sensitivity to the blend of components compared with Z7-12: OAc alone. The observed arrestment effect may have been due to male perception of one or more minor components of the CL pheromone. The results show that the multicomponent pheromones of these species function effectively as specific mating signals and that discrimination of odor quality by male moths can occur as the result of minor components affecting male sensitivity or their upwind flight response to the pheromone. © 1988 Plenum Publishing Corporation.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

Journal of Chemical Ecology

First Page

47

Last Page

57

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