trans-α-Necrodyl Acetate: Minor Sex Pheromone Component of the Invasive Mealybug Delottococcus aberiae (De Lotto)

Abstract

Reported in Europe in the early 2000s, Delottococcus aberiae (De Lotto) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) is an invasive mealybug pest that is causing severe damage to citrus production in eastern Spain. Once its main sex pheromone component was identified in a previous work as (4,5,5-trimethyl-3-methylenecyclopent-1-en-1-yl)methyl acetate 1, the revision of virgin female effluvia is here reported to improve knowledge about the biology of D. aberiae. A new minor component has been identified in the volatile samples collected from virgin females as ((1R, 4R)-3,4,5,5-tetramethylcyclopent-2-en-1-yl)methyl acetate (trans-α-necrodyl acetate, (1R, 4R)-2), a compound also found in the essential oil of Lavandula stoechas subsp. luisieri. Bioassay testing of the activity of this compound showed that a synthetic sample of the racemate (±)-(trans)-2 was attractive to D. aberiae males both in the laboratory and field but with a lower attractant power than enantiopure (1R, 4R)-2 and (±)-(1). The 1:1 mixture of (1R, 4R)-2 and (±)-1 provided a slight additive effect. Further trials are needed to know the pest control potential of this minor compound but the possibility of obtaining this substance from a natural source could pose an important advantage to implement new methods for the sustainable control of D. aberiae.