Sex Attractants for Male Lepidoptera

Abstract

About one hundred of unsaturated long straight chain compounds (C10-C18) containing a terminal hydroxyl or acetoxyl group were synthesized and their attractiveness to male Lepidoptera were tested in various environments. In this screening test, male insects of ninety- three species which belong to fifteen families were attracted specifically. It was indicated that monoene alcohols and acetates constitute a main group of sex pheromones of the Lepidoptera being native in Japan. Discussions are made on the structure-activity relationship in the attractants and on the chemical structural features of components, which are expected to be present commonly in the certain family, namely, Torticidae, Noctuidae etc.