Towards chemical characterization of waterborne pheromone of amphipod crustaceanMicrodeutopus gryllotalpa.

Previous studies demonstrated the existence of a waterborne pheromone secreted by receptive females of the amphipod crustaceanMicrodeutopus gryllotalpa which attracts males. The data were obtained by using a bioassay apparatus based on a two-choice test paradigm. The present study reports the results of additional tests employing this apparatus which have shed some light on the chemical nature of the pheromone. The bioactive substance was isolated from receptive female waters with anion exchange resin columns, but not with C-18 reverse-phase columns. This suggests that the substance is polar. Another finding of the present study was that effluents from the green algaUlva lactuca inhibit males' responses to the pheromone.