Werner Knauf

Pheromone-XLII. 1,3,6,9-nonadecatetraen, das sexualpheromon des frostspanners operophtera brumata (geometridae).

Abstract By means of GC and GCMS analysis and electrophysiological investigations ( z 3, z 6, z 9)-1,3,6,9-nonadecatetrane was identified as sex pheromone of the winter moth O . brumata , and prepared by stereoselective synthesis methods.

Pheromone XXX. Identifizierung eines neuartigen Pheromonkomplexes aus der Graseule Scotia exclamationis (Lepidoptera).

Zusammenfassung Mittels Gaschromatographie und GC-Massenspektrometrie wurden (Z)-5-Tetradecenylacetat und (Z)-9-Tetradecenylacetat als Pheromonkomplex bei der Graseule identifiziert.

Responses of male winter moths (Operophtera brumata) to their sex attractant (3Z,6Z,9Z)-1,3,6,9 nonadecatetraene and to some structural analogues

The winter moth, Operophtera brumata (L.) (Geometridae) belongs to the few lepidopteran species which can be found as an adult in Europe in November and December. The species needs a low temperature as a stimulant for hatching, and this also applies to its flight activity (Roelofs et al., 1982). The male moths move 1-3 m above the ground in twilight or dark and can trace the female which is sitting on tree trunks and is unable to fly, After mating it moves to the canopy and oviposits in or under the bark. The larvae hatch in the spring and may cause serious damage in orchards by feeding on the young leaves or flowers. It is well known that the winter moths may also be a pest in forests. There, it is considered as part of the lepidopteran complex together with the oak leaf roller (Tortrix viridana) and different Erannis spp. (Geometridae). In most cases, however, O. brumata is the major pest (Kotte, 1958; Kudler, 1978), Sztics & Tbth (1978) provided evidence of the occurrence of a sex pheromone in extracts of the abdomen of O. brumata females, which subsequently initiated pre-copulatory behaviour. Before we initiated the field test reported here at the same location as mentioned below more than 250 monoand polyunsaturated compounds known as sex pheromones in Lepidoptera (Bestmann & Vostrowsky, 1981) or their structural analogues were tested for attractivity since 1977. With none of the compounds tested could any appreciable attractivity be found. In 1982 Bestmann et aL and Roelofs et al. in independent studies determined the chemical struc-