(2,3,4,4-Tetramethylcyclopentyl)methyl acetate, a sex pheromone from the obscure mealybug: first example of a new structural class of monoterpenes.

The sex pheromone of the obscure mealybug, Pseudococcus viburni, consists of (1R*,2R*,3S*)-(2,3,4,4-tetramethylcyclopentyl)methyl acetate, the first example of a new monoterpenoid structural motif in which the two isoprene units forming the carbon skeleton are joined by 2'-2 and 3'-4 connections rather than the usual 1'-4, head-to-tail connections. This highly irregular terpenoid structure, and the irregular terpenoid structures of related mealybug species, suggest that these insects may have unique terpenoid biosynthetic pathways.