Identification of minor sex pheromone components of the poplar clearwing moth Paranthrene tabaniformis (Lepidoptera, Sesiidae).

A chemical analysis of the crude sex pheromone gland extracts of virgin calling Paranthrene tabaniformis females, obtained from the European part of Kazakhstan, revealed the presence of five compounds: (3E,13Z)-octadeca-3,13-dien-1-ol (E3,Z13-18:OH), (3Z,13Z)-octadeca-3,13-dien-1-ol (Z3,Z13-18:OH), (2E,13Z)-octadeca-2,13-dien-1-ol (E2,Z13-18:OH), (13Z)-octadec-13-en-1-ol (Z13-18:OH), and octadecan-1-ol (18:OH) at the ratios 64.0:32.4: 1.4:0.9:1.3, which are structurally related to sex pheromone components of clearwing moths. Our previous field tests showed synergistic effects of Z3,Z13-18:OH and E2,Z13-18:OH to attract P. tabaniformis males, when these compounds were tested in binary mixtures with the known sex pheromone E3,Z13-18:OH. The three dienic alcohols should all be considered as sex pheromone components of the P. tabaniformis species, while the role of Z13-18:OH and 18:OH remained unclear.