A. N. Sparks

Sex pheromone chemistry of the female tobacco budworm moth, Heliothis virescens.

Abstract(Z)-11 -Hexadecenal (77–91%), (Z)-7-hexadecenal (0.1–2%), (Z)-9-hexadecenal (0.3–2%), hexadecanal (3–19%), (Z)-11-hexadecen-1-ol (1–5%), tetradecanal (1–3%), and (Z)-9-tetradecenal (1–3%) were identified from the heptane washes of the ovipositor of femaleHeliothis virescens (F.) females. In field bioassays, a 152-μg mixture of these seven compounds deployed in an insect trap exceeded the attractiveness of 4 virgin femaleH. virescens for males and was 5–6 times more attractive than a mixture of (Z)-1 1-hexadecenal and (Z)-9-tetradecenal (virelure) that was previously reported as the sex pheromone of the species. Four of the seven compounds produced byH. virescens females are also produced byH. zea (Boddie). Specificity of pheromonal signals among the two species is ostensibly dependent upon one or more of the three additional compounds [tetradecanal, (Z)-9-tetradecenal, and (Z)-1 1-hexadecen-1-ol] produced by femaleH. virescens.

Sex pheromone chemistry of female corn earworm moth, Heliothis zea.

Glass open-tubular capillary Chromatographic and combined glass open-tubular capillary chromatographic-mass spectrometric analyses of ovipositor washes of femaleHeliothis zea, chemical characterization, chemical synthesis, and laboratory and field bioassays showed that the ovipositor wash of the species is made up of 90–95% (Z)-11-hexadecenal, 1–2% (Z)-9-hexadecenal, 0.4–2% (Z)-7-hexadecenal, and 2–7% hexadecanal. Stimuli containing a binary mixture of (Z)-11-hexadecenal and (Z)-9-hexadecenal or the binary mixture in combination with any of the other aldehydes identified from the females elicited intense attraction and close-range precopulatory reactions fromH. zea males.

(Z)-9-tetradecen-1-ol acetate

Abstract(Z)-9-Tetradecen-1-ol acetate [(Z)-9-TDA], identified originally as the sex pheromone of the fall armyworm,Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), acted as a secondary sex pheromone when it was tested in sticky traps in field tests. Low-level synergism was obtained when 2 and 10% quantities of (Z)-9-TDA were added to 100 μg of (Z)-9-dodecen-1-ol acetate, which is now considered the primary sex pheromone.

Night-Vision Equipment, Reproductive Biology, and Nocturnal Behavior: Importance to Studies of Insect Flight, Dispersal, and Migration

The adults of well over one-half of our insect pests are active during dark or crepuscular periods and most species are highly mobile. Their mobility, along with our limited night vision, has resulted in a large void in our knowledge of their nocturnal behavior. Nevertheless, in recent years, a number of technologies and techniques have emerged that are adaptable for studying nocturnal behavior of insects in their natural environment. The technologies include the use of various forms of visible light such as flashlights, lanterns, Aldis lamps, and 6-V headlamps (Lingren et al. 1977; Rose and Dewhurst 1979); night-vision devices using natural-light intensification and amplification (Lingren et al. 1978; Greenbank et al. 1980); infrared-optical devices including video (Conner and Master 1978; Lingren et al. 1982; Riley et al. 1983; Schaefer and Bent 1984); and radar (Schaefer 1976; Wolf 1978; Riley 1980).