Identification of the sex pheromone of Sesamia cretica Lederer

By using solid phase micro-extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses, a sex pheromone blend for the stem borer, Sesamia cretica Lederer (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), was identified as consisting of (Z)-9-tetradecen-1-ol (80%), (Z)-9-tetradecen-1-yl acetate (10%), and (Z)-11-hexadecen-1-ol (10%). The first two components had previously been discovered as attractants for S. cretica in field tests, but had not been identified in the female's sex pheromone gland. A field-trapping trial showed that the three-component blend gave the highest catches of male S. cretica. This blend, in a sticky trap, was used to monitor a population of S. cretica in Iran, allowing the seasonal flight activity of this insect to be compared with that of a sympatric population of S. nonagrioides. The role of pheromones in the reproductive isolation of these species is discussed.