Sex Pheromone of the Winter Moth, a Geometrid with Unusually Low Temperature Precopulatory Responses
W. L. ROELOFS 1,
A. S. HILL 1,
C. E. LINN 1,
J. MEINWALD 2,
S. C. JAIN 2,
H. J. HERBERT 3, and
R. F. SMITH 3
1 Department of Entomology, New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, Geneva 14456
2 Department of Chemistry, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853
3 Research Station, Agriculture Canada, Kentville, Nova Scotia B4N 1J5
The sex pheromone for the winter moth, Operophtera brumata (L.), has been identified as the novel compound (Z,Z,Z)-1,3,6,9-nonadecatetraene. The male moths respond to the pheromone at low temperatures (4° to 15°C) and exhibit an upper response limit that coincides with the lower response limit for other reported moth sex pheromone systems. The pheromone attracted two other geometrid species, O. bruceata (Bruce spanworm) and O. occidentalis.
Submitted on February 22, 1982
Revised on May 12, 1982
