Chemical factors controlling oviposition of Lutzomyia longipalpis (Diptera: Psychodidae).

In choice chambers, Lutzomyia longipalpis females were attracted and/or stimulated to lay eggs on sites containing hexane extracts of conspecific eggs, a result which supported previous findings on the presence of an oviposition pheromone on the eggs. Gas Chromatography analysis of hexane extracts of the eggs demonstrated the presence of several compounds, of which cholesterol and squalene were identified. Cholesterol and squalene did not, however, induce an oviposition attraction and/or stimulation response by the females, indicating that other compounds were responsible for the observed behaviour.