α-Cedren-14-al: Minor Aggregation Pheromone Component of Gnatocerus cornutus (F.) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

Abstract

The minor aggregation pheromone produced by male broad-horned flour beetle, Gnatocerus cornutus (F.) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), was investigated. Volatiles from 3,500,000 male day equivalents (MDE) (ca. 10,000 ♂ × 1 year) were applied to silica gel and 5% silver nitrate impregnated silica gel column chromatography followed by preparative gas liquid chromatography to yield the major pheromone component (acoradiene, 350 mg; 100 ng/MDE) and the minor pheromone component (1.1 mg; 0.31 ng/MDE). The minor component was identified as α-cedren-14-al by chemical and spectroscopic methods. The major (acoradiene) and the minor (α-cedren-14-al) components were active at more than 100 and 3.1 pg per disk, respectively, but both components showed no synergistic effect. © 1998, Pesticide Science Society of Japan. All rights reserved.