Quero Carmen, Sarto I Monteys Victor, Rosell Gloria, Puigmartí Marc, Guerrero Angel
Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Modelling, IQAC (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain.
Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA), Entomology, Plants and Health. ICTA-ICP Building, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra (Barcelona), Spain.
PLoS One. 2017 Feb 8;12(2):e0171166. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0171166. eCollection 2017.
Castniid moths (Lepidoptera: Castniidae) display a butterfly-like reproductive behavior, i.e., they use visual stimuli for mate location and females have apparently lost their pheromone glands in an evolutionary context. In this paper we report for the first time the identification of three new compounds, namely n-octadecyl acetate, (Z)-9-octadecenyl acetate and (E,Z)-2,13-octadecadienyl acetate, in males of the Castniid Palm Borer, Paysandisia archon, which could be involved in its short-range courtship behavior, and also shed light on recent controversies on the sexual behavior of the species. The compounds are produced in a ring-shaped gland of the male terminalia and have occasionally been detected in very minor amounts (ng) in ovipositor extracts of females, but only while mating or just after copulation. We also report that males use the already known (E,Z)-2,13-octadecadienol to mark their territory by rubbing their midlegs against the upper side of nearby leaves, especially palm leaves. This compound, produced in large amounts, is mostly concentrated in the midleg basitarsi and its maximum production is detected on the sexually mature 1-day-old specimens. In addition, analysis of male wings extracts confirms the presence of Z,E and E,E-farnesals, which are mostly produced in the median band of hindwings of 48-53 h-old insects. The biological significance of farnesals in this species is unknown. Our results point out that the chemical communication of P. archon relies mostly on males, which appear to bear all chemical burden in this respect.
透翅蛾科蛾类（鳞翅目：透翅蛾科）表现出类似蝴蝶的生殖行为，即它们利用视觉刺激来寻找配偶，并且在进化过程中雌性显然失去了信息素腺体。在本文中，我们首次报告在透翅蛾科棕榈蛀虫Paysandisia archon的雄性个体中鉴定出三种新化合物，即正十八烷基乙酸酯、（Z）-9-十八碳烯基乙酸酯和（E,Z）-2,13-十八碳二烯基乙酸酯，它们可能参与其近距离求偶行为，同时也为该物种性行为方面最近的争议提供了线索。这些化合物在雄性生殖器的环形腺体中产生，偶尔在雌性产卵器提取物中检测到极少量（纳克），但仅在交配时或交配后不久。我们还报告说，雄性通过用中腿摩擦附近叶片（尤其是棕榈叶）的上侧来使用已知的（E,Z）-2,13-十八碳二烯醇来标记它们的领地。这种大量产生的化合物主要集中在中腿基部跗节，在性成熟的1日龄标本上检测到其最大产量。此外，对雄性翅膀提取物的分析证实了Z,E和E,E-法尼醛的存在，它们主要在48 - 53小时龄昆虫后翅的中带产生。该物种中法尼醛的生物学意义尚不清楚。我们的结果指出，P. archon的化学通讯主要依赖于雄性，在这方面雄性似乎承担了所有的化学负担。
