Identification of the Aggregation Pheromone of Flour Beetles Tribolium castaneum and T. confusum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

Abstract

The aggregation pheromone produced by the male red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum, and confused flour beetles, T. confusum was identified as 4,8-dimethyldecan-l-al by GLC, GC-MS, PMR spectra, and synthesis of the compound. The synthetic pheromone was less attractive compared with the natural pheromone, because the synthetic sample was composed of four optical isomers. © 1981, Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry. All rights reserved.