EVIDENCE FOR CIS-11-HEXADECEN-1-OL ACETATE AS A MAJOR COMPONENT OF THE SEX PHEROMONE OF THE BERTHA ARMYWORM, MAMESTRA CONFIGURATA (LEPIDOPTERA: NOCTUIDAE)

Abstract A potent sex pheromone produced by female bertha army worm moths was isolated. A 16 carbon, unsaturated, alkenol acetate was indicated from chemical degradative and GLC retention data. The location and configuration of the double bond was determined from the antennal responses (EAG) of male moths to a series of cis and trans mono-unsaturated alken-1-ol acetates; cis-11-hexadecen-1-ol acetate elicited the greatest EAG response. GLC retention times of the purified insect sex pheromone corresponded exactly with those of authentic cis-11-hexadecen-1-ol acetate on several analytical columns. Maximum biological response in laboratory bioassays of synthetic materials was obtained from a mixture of approximately 85% cis- and 15% trans-11-hexadecen-1-ol acetates.

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