Sex pheromone of Acrolepiopsis nagaimo Yasuda (Lepidoptera: Acrolepiidae), a predominant leafminer on Chinese yam in Tottori Prefecture: Field evaluation and activity of the third component

Abstract

In field tests conducted in Chinese yam fields in Tottori Prefecture of Japan in 1998, maximum catches of Acrolepiopsis nagaimo males were obtained at ratios between 50 : 50 and 75 : 25 (=natural ratio) when 100/μg of a binary blend of (Z)-11-hexadecenyl acetate (Z11-16:Ac) and (Z)-11-hexadecenal (Z11-16:Ald) was baited in the traps. This attractiveness was apparently enhanced when 1% to 5% of (Z)-11-hexadecen-1-ol (Z11-16:OH) was added. When 2% Z11-16:OH was blended, the synergistic effect was apparent at high doses (≥100 μg/septum). The third compound, Z11-16:OH, was therefore confirmed as a sex pheromone component. The optimum blend for male attraction was determined to be 200-1000 μg/septum of a 50: 50: 2 blend of Z11-16:Ac, Z11-16:Ald and Z11-16:OH, respectively. More than ten times as many males were captured with this blend than with two 2-to 3-d-old virgin females.