A. B. Attygalle

Technique for injecting intact glands for analysis of sex pheromones of Lepidoptera by capillary gas chromatography : Reinvestigation of pheromone complex ofMamestra brassicae.

The structure elucidation of sex pheromones of Lepidoptera by a solid-sample injection technique in conjunction with capillary gas chromatography is described. The applicability of this method in GC and GC-MS modes was demonstrated by reanalyzing the sex attractants of females ofOstrinia nubilalis andBombyx mori. The pheromone complex ofMamestra brassicae was reinvestigated and (Z)-9-hexadecenyl acetate and (Z)-11-hexadecenol were found in addition to already known pheromone components of this species. By using the solid-sample injection, the exact site of pheromone release could be determined inM. brassicae.

Chemical composition and function of metapleural gland secretion of the ant,Crematogaster deformis smith (hymenoptera: Myrmicinae)

The secretion of the hypertrophied metapleural gland of the antCrematogaster deformis contains a mixture of phenols, consisting mainly of 3-propylphenol, 3-pentylphenol, 3,4-dihydro-8-hydroxy-3-methylisocoumarin (mellein), 5-propylresorcinol, and 5-pentylresorcinol. The secretion is released, as a repellent, when the highly vulnerable petiolar-postpetiolar region of the abdomen is attacked by enemy ants. In addition, small amounts of the secretion are released regularly to serve as an antiseptic, which is considered the original function of the gland. The secretion also has some insecticidal properties.

Regulatory steps in sex pheromone biosynthesis inMamestra brassicae L. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

The de novo biosynthesis of (Z)-11-hexadecenyl acetate, the most abundant pheromone component inM. brassicae, starting from acetate via palmitic acid, requires the presence of a pheromone-biosynthesis-activating neurohormone. Moreover, the conversion of palmitic acid to (Z)-11-hexadecenyl acetate is strongly dependent on the presence of the neurohormone. However, no significant dependence was found for the conversion of (Z)-11-hexadecenoic acid to (Z)-11-hexadecenyl acetate. This indicates that the neurohormonal control of pheromone biosynthesis inM. brassicae occurs at the level of palmitic acid.

Identification of a component of the trail pheromone of the ant Pheidole pallidula (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

ABSTRACT The poison gland of minor workers of P.pallidula.Nyl. contains 3‐ethyl‐2,5‐dimethylpyrazine which induces trail‐following in other workers, but does not account for the full trail‐following effect of one workers poison gland. No pyrazines were detected in major workers and their glands do not contain the pheromone.

New chemicals from the Dufour gland of the formicine ant Lasius niger (Hymenoptera: formicidae)

Abstract A series of esters of C 8 -C 13 fatty acids formed with C 10 -C 12 straight chain alcohols, representing 3.7% of the glandular contents, was found in the Dufour gland of workers of the formicine ant Lasius niger . Altogether, nearly 50 components, among them hydrocarbons, alcohols, acetates and propionates were identified in the glandular liquid by means of gas chromatography (GC) and mass spectrometry (MS), using a solid injection technique. The wax esters and the propionates—decyl, dodecyl, octadecyl and farnesyl—have not been previously reported from ant secretions.

Trail-following responses ofLeptogenys diminuta to stereoisomers of 4-methyl-3-heptanol

Behavioral tests carried out with the four stereoisomers of 4-methyl-3-heptanol revealed thatLeptogenys diminuta ants respond specifically only to the (3R, 4S)-isomer.

Identification of Three Sex Pheromone Components of the Female Saturniid Moth Antheraea pernyi (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae)

Abstract By means of electroantennography and single cell recordings, GC and GCMS analyses and GC analysis with EAG detection (6E,11 Z)-6,11-hexadecadienal, (6E,11 Z)-6,11-hexadecadienyl acetate and (4E,9Z)-4,9-tetradecadienyl acetate were identified as the primary components of the sex pheromone of female Antheraea pernyi (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae).

Morphology and Chemical Contents of Dufour Glands of Pseudomyrmex Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Abstract The morphology and ultrastructure of the Dufour gland of a pseudomyrmecine ant is described. The gland has an unusually large volume but possesses a very thin epithelial lining. Its morphology does not constitute a specific subfamily character as in some ant subfamilies. Analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of the glands of three species showed them all to be rich in saturated linear hydrocarbons (C17:0 and C15:0 dominant) and isopropyl esters of the common fatty acids. Each species produces its own characteristic mixture of these substances. The most abundant ester in Pseudomyrmex ferruginea is isopropyl oleate and in P. sp. A it is isopropyl palmitate, in P.flavicornis there is only a trace of isopropyl palmitate. An alate female of P. ferruginea contained a very similar mixture to that of the workers.

Identification of sex pheromone components ofSpodoptera sunia Guenée (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Moths belonging to the speciesSpodoptera sunia have been recognized as a new pest of cotton in Central America. By means of electro-physiologic investigations, solid sample injection gas chromatography, and combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, (Z)-9-tetradecenyl acetate, (9Z,12E)-9,12-tetradecadienyl acetate, (Z)-9-tetradecen-1-ol, and (Z)-11-hexadecenyl acetate, in a ratio of 100∶5∶31∶20, were identified in the pheromone gland of female insects. These substances should serve as a base for the development of a pheromone-monitoring system for this lepidopteran pest.

Contents of Dufour glands in some formicine ants: queens and workers of Camponotus aethiops and a re-examination of Lasius fuliginosus

The Dufour gland secretions of both virgin queens and workers of Camponotus aethiops are similar and consist of straight chain hydrocarbons ranging from C20–C15 with C11 the major compound. The difference between the two castes is that C15 appears only as a trace in queens, and the total amount of secretion is smaller in queens than in workers.