Identification of the Sex Pheromone of the European Grain Moth Nemapogon granellus: (3Z, 13Z)-3,13-Octadecadienyl Acetate

Abstract

The hexane rinse from whole bodies of 5000 unmated females of the European grain moth Nemapogon granellus (Lepidoptera: Tineidae) was purified on a short Si02 column and an AgNO3 impregnated Si02 column, while the pheromone activity was monitored by a conventional behavioral bioassay. The analysis of the active principle(s) and its dimethyl-disulfide (DMDS) derivative(s) by GLC and GC-MS indicated that the structure corresponded to that of 3,13-octadecadienyl acetate. Only the 3Z, 13Z-isomer among the four candidates synthesized gave GLC and GC-MS results identical with those of the purified pheromone, and it was most active among the isomers. These results indicated that the female sex pheromone of the European grain moth was identical to (3Z, 13Z)-3,13-octadecadienyl acetate. © 1993, Pesticide Science Society of Japan. All rights reserved.