Mating communication systems of four Plusiinae species distributed in Japan: identification of the sex pheromones and field evaluation.

The sex pheromones of four Plusiinae species in the family Noctuidae, Ctenoplusia albostriata (CA), Macdunnoughia purissima (MP), Syngrapha ain (SA), and Diachrysia stenochrysis (DS) were identified by GC-EAD and GC-MS analyses. These were subsequently evaluated by a series of field trials in different ecological habitats. CA females produced (Z)-5-decenyl acetate (I), (Z)-7-dodecenyl acetate (II), and (Z)-7-dodecen-1-ol (III) in a ratio of 2:100:13. While the antennae of CA males responded to all three components, neither I nor III was essential to capture males. The MP females produced II, III, and (Z)-5-dodecenyl acetate (IV) in a ratio of 100:80:20, and this blend captured the most MP males. Compounds II and III were also identified from SA females, and mixtures ranging from 4:1 to 2:3 were equally attractive to males. DS females only produced one active compound, (Z)-7-decenyl acetate (V), and DS is the first Plusiinae species identified as using only the omega3-compound and none of omega5-compounds, such as II and III, which are common components of Plusiinae pheromones. Using previously published chemical and biosynthetic data, together with the finding from this study, we propose a classification of the Plusiinae sex pheromones.