Cis-and trans-octa-1,5-dien-3-ol, new attractants to the cheese mite Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank) (Acarina, Acaridae) idintified in Trichothecium roseum (Fungi Imperfecti).

The volatile materials emitted by Trichothecium roseum (Fungi Imperfecti) at a very low concentration are strong attractants for Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank, 1781) (Acarina, Acardae). The identification of cis- and trans-octa-1,5-dien-3-ol, the main attractant constituents of these volatile materials, was performed by spectroscopic methods (GC/MS and NMR) on a microsample (less than 100 micrograms) isolated by a new pre-concentration method. Although this unsaturated alcohol has only been found in Trichothecium roseum and in a Rhodophyta, it may be present in other microfungi and in fungi and may be implicated in the ecological process.