Joakim Bång

The Male Sex Pheromone of the Butterfly Bicyclus anynana: Towards an Evolutionary Analysis

Background Female sex pheromones attracting mating partners over long distances are a major determinant of reproductive isolation and speciation in Lepidoptera. Males can also produce sex pheromones but their study, particularly in butterflies, has received little attention. A detailed comparison of sex pheromones in male butterflies with those of female moths would reveal patterns of conservation versus novelty in the associated behaviours, biosynthetic pathways, compounds, scent-releasing structures and receiving systems. Here we assess whether the African butterfly Bicyclus anynana, for which genetic, genomic, phylogenetic, ecological and ethological tools are available, represents a relevant model to contribute to such comparative studies. Methodology/Principal Findings Using a multidisciplinary approach, we determined the chemical composition of the male sex pheromone (MSP) in the African butterfly B. anynana, and demonstrated its behavioural activity. First, we identified three compounds forming the presumptive MSP, namely (Z)-9-tetradecenol (Z9-14:OH), hexadecanal (16:Ald ) and 6,10,14-trimethylpentadecan-2-ol (6,10,14-trime-15-2-ol), and produced by the male secondary sexual structures, the androconia. Second, we described the male courtship sequence and found that males with artificially reduced amounts of MSP have a reduced mating success in semi-field conditions. Finally, we could restore the mating success of these males by perfuming them with the synthetic MSP. Conclusions/Significance This study provides one of the first integrative analyses of a MSP in butterflies. The toolkit it has developed will enable the investigation of the type of information about male quality that is conveyed by the MSP in intraspecific communication. Interestingly, the chemical structure of B. anynana MSP is similar to some sex pheromones of female moths making a direct comparison of pheromone biosynthesis between male butterflies and female moths relevant to future research. Such a comparison will in turn contribute to understanding the evolution of sex pheromone production and reception in butterflies.

Chemical ecology and insect conservation: optimising pheromone-based monitoring of the threatened saproxylic click beetle Elater ferrugineus

Elater ferrugineus is a saproxylic click beetle inhabiting old deciduous trees in Europe. It is threatened throughout its area of distribution due to habitat loss. No efficient monitoring method has been available for this species, but observed attraction of females to (R)-(+)-γ-decalactone, which is a male-produced sex pheromone of its prey, the scarab beetle Osmoderma eremita, has led to the development of an odour lure for monitoring. In addition, four esters have recently been identified from the pheromone-producing gland in female E. ferrugineus, and a blend of these esters is highly attractive to conspecific males in the field, revealing an alternative odour-based method for monitoring this species. However, no rigorous analysis has been performed to check whether all four esters show biological activity in male E. ferrugineus, and whether its own sex pheromone is a more potent lure than the prey kairomone for monitoring of E. ferrugineus. In this study, we reinvestigated the E. ferrugineus sex pheromone, using electrophysiological and behavioural analyses, and found that only one of the esters, 7-methyloctyl (Z)-4-decenoate, is active. In addition, trapping experiments revealed that 7-methyloctyl (Z)-4-decenoate is a much more efficient attractant for male E. ferrugineus than the prey pheromone is for conspecific females, or any sex of O. eremita. With a very efficient odour lure at hand, novel information about current distribution, local population sizes, and dispersal ranges in E. ferrugineus can now be obtained, which can aid in conservation efforts to protect this threatened insect and its habitat.

(6R, 10R)-6,10,14-Trimethylpentadecan-2-one, a Dominant and Behaviorally Active Component in Male Orchid Bee Fragrances

Abstract6,10,14-Trimethylpentadecan-2-one (Hexahydrofarnesyl acetone; HHA) previously has been found to be a major component in tibial fragrances of male orchid bees, Euglossa spp. HHA is a chiral molecule with four possible stereoisomers, (6R, 10R)-, (6R, 10S)-, (6S, 10R)-, and (6S, 10S)-6,10,14-trimethylpentadecan-2-one. In the present study, we characterized HHA extracted from Euglossa as the pure enantiomer (6R, 10R)-6,10,14-trimethylpentadecan-2-one. During bioassays in Mexico and Panama, the synthetic RR-isomer attracted males of six species of orchid bees, including three that were known to contain HHA in their tibial fragrances. Possible sources of HHA for wild bees are flowers of euglossophilous orchids and aroids. With a molecular weight of 268, HHA is the largest natural molecule known to attract male orchid bees in pure form. Its attractiveness to males suggests that low-volatility compounds have a function in male signals, e.g., serve as a “base note” in complex odor bouquets.

Field Response of Male Pine Sawflies, Neodiprion sertifer (Diprionidae), to Sex Pheromone Analogs in Japan and Sweden.

The pine sawfly Neodiprion sertifer (Geoffroy) uses the acetate or propionate of (2S,3S,7S)-3,7-dimethyl-2-pentadecanol (diprionol) as pheromone components, with the (2S,3R,7R)-isomer being antagonistic, synergistic, or inactive according to the population tested. In this study, we tested the attraction of males to the acetates of three analogs of diprionol, each missing one methyl group, viz. (2S,7S)-7-methyl-2-pentadecanol, (2S,6S)-2,6-dimethyl-1-tetradecanol, and (2S,3S)-3-methyl-2-pentadecanol. None of the analogs alone, or in combination with diprionol acetate, was attractive in Sweden, even at 100 times the amount of diprionol acetate attractive to N. sertifer. In Japan, the acetate of (2S,3S)-3-methyl-2-pentadecanol attracted males when tested in amounts 10–20 times higher than the acetate pheromone component. The acetate esters of the (2S,3R)-analog and the (2S,3R,7R)-isomer of diprionol also were tested in combination with the pheromone compound (acetate ester). Both compounds caused an almost total trap-catch reduction in Sweden, whereas in Japan they appear to have relatively little effect on trap capture when added to diprionol acetate. Butyrate and iso-butyrate esters of diprionol were unattractive to N. sertifer in Sweden. In summary, there exists geographic variation in N. sertifer in responses to both diprionyl acetate and some of its analogs.

Stereoisomeric separation of derivatised 2-alkanols using gas chromatography – mass spectrometry: sex pheromone precursors found in pine sawfly species

Stereoisomers of long-chain secondary alcohols are used as sex pheromone precursors among pine sawflies and some species can be severe pine forest pests. To use their pheromone in environmentally friendly pest management, methods are needed that can determine the stereochemistry of the precursor alcohols. Combinations of 11 acid chloride derivatives and 10 GC columns were evaluated for separation of stereoisomers of 3,7-dimethylundecan-2-ol, 3,7-dimethyldodecan-2-ol, 3,7-dimethyltridecan-2-ol, 3,7-dimethyltetradecan-2-ol, and 3,7-dimethylpentadecan-2-ol. Derivatization with (S)-2-acetoxypropionyl chloride in combination with a Chiraldex B-PA column separated all eight stereoisomers of 3,7-dimethylundecan-2-ol, 3,7-dimethyldodecan-2-ol, and 3,7-dimethyltridecan-2-ol. A combination of two different derivatization methods was needed to separate all stereoisomers of the longer chained alcohols 3,7-dimethyltetradecan-2-ol and 3,7-dimethylpentadecan-2-ol. A female extract of the pine sawfly Neodiprion lecontei was also analyzed and the stereochemistry of the sex pheromone alcohol precursor was determined to be (2S,3S,7S)-3,7-dimethylpentadecan-2-ol at an amount of about 7 ng/female. This paper presents the first GC-MS separation of all eight stereoisomers of 3,7-dimethylundecan-2-ol, 3,7-dimethyldodecan-2-ol, and 3,7-dimethyltridecan-2-ol in a single analytical run and also the first GC-MS determination of the stereochemistry of the sex pheromone precursor found in females of N. lecontei.