Geiselhardt Sven, Ockenfels Peter, Peschke Klaus
Institut für Biologie I, Universität Freiburg, Hauptstrasse 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.
Naturwissenschaften. 2008 Mar;95(3):247-51. doi: 10.1007/s00114-007-0312-5. Epub 2007 Sep 26.
Males of the genus Parastizopus (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) exhibit a special pheromone-emitting behaviour. They do a headstand, expose the aedeagus and remain in this posture for a few seconds. The pheromone emitted by P. transgariepinus was collected by solid-phase micro-extraction (100 microm polydimethylsiloxane fibre) and identified as 1-tridecene by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Presumably, this compound originates from the aedeagal gland, a special feature in Parastizopus, as 1-tridecene is the main compound in the gland reservoirs (23.6+/-3.8%), accompanied by various less volatile fatty acid esters (25.2+/-2.0%) and hydrocarbons (51.2+/-5.7%). 1-Tridecene is also part of the pygidial defensive secretion of both sexes, together with other 1-alkenes, monoterpene hydrocarbons and 1,4-benzoquinones, but as none of these other compounds was detected during calling, the pygidial gland could be ruled out as pheromone source. Extracts of the aedeagal gland reservoirs and the pygidial defensive secretion contained comparable amounts of 1-tridecene, 1.24+/-0.41 and 1.88+/-0.54 microg/male, respectively. Chemo-orientation experiments using a servosphere showed that 1 microg of 1-tridecene was attractive to females but not to males.
副拟步甲属（鞘翅目：拟步甲科）的雄性表现出一种特殊的释放信息素的行为。它们会倒立，露出阳茎，并保持这种姿势几秒钟。通过固相微萃取（100微米聚二甲基硅氧烷纤维）收集了南非副拟步甲释放的信息素，并通过气相色谱/质谱法鉴定为1-十三碳烯。据推测，这种化合物起源于阳茎腺，这是副拟步甲属的一个特殊特征，因为1-十三碳烯是腺体储存库中的主要化合物（23.6±3.8%），同时伴有各种挥发性较低的脂肪酸酯（25.2±2.0%）和碳氢化合物（51.2±5.7%）。1-十三碳烯也是两性臀板防御分泌物的一部分，与其他1-烯烃、单萜碳氢化合物和1,4-苯醌一起，但在求偶过程中未检测到这些其他化合物，因此可以排除臀板腺是信息素来源。阳茎腺储存库和臀板防御分泌物的提取物中1-十三碳烯的含量相当，分别为1.24±0.41和1.88±0.54微克/雄性。使用伺服球进行的化学定向实验表明，1微克的1-十三碳烯对雌性有吸引力，但对雄性没有吸引力。
