Benzyl acetates as attractants for the male oriental fruit fly, Dacus dorsalis, and the male melon fly, Dacus cucurbitae.

Fifty compounds related to benzyl acetate were evaluated quantitatively as attractants to the male oriental fruit fly (Dacus dorsalis) and the male melon fly (Dacus cucurbitae). Thienylmethyl acetate was nearly as attractive as benzyl acetate to both species, but cyclohexylmethyl acetate was completely unattractive, emphasizing the role of the planar aromatic ring in receptor interaction. Although benzyl acetate was equally attractive to both species, para substituents invariably reduced attraction to the oriental fruit fly. A number of derivatives, including p-hydroxy-, p-methoxy-, p-acetoxy-, and p-cyanobenzyl acetates were highly attractive to the melon fly. Selective fluorination indicated that the polarizability of the carbonyl carbon is important in receptor interaction with the melon fly but is not specifically involved in the oriental fruit fly. Attraction to the melon fly was lost with ortho, meta, or dimethoxy substitution of benzyl acetate, but the 3,4- and 2,5-dimethoxybenzyl acetates were attractive to the oriental fruit fly. These results are interpreted in terms of specific olfactory receptor interactions for the two species of fruit flies.