[New sex pheromone isolated from the abdominal glands of male newt, Cynops pyrrhogaster].

Abstract

Sodefrin, a novel decapeptide which attracts female newts, Cynops pyrrhogaster was isolated from the abdominal gland of the male of the same species. Synthetic sodefrin was tested for its activity with sexually active females and males and sexually inert females. It attracted only sexually active females. The effect of sodefrin was blocked by a bilateral nostril plugging with cotton balls soaked in melted vaseline. Immunoelectronmicroscopic study using antiserum against sodefrin revealed that sodefrin was located mainly in the secretory granules in the epithelial cells of the abdominal gland of the cloaca.