Abstract
Virgin German cockroach adult females release an attractant that can be extracted with organic solvents and trapped from air blown over sexually receptive females. Behavioral assays with an olfactometer showed that the attractant was produced exclusively by adult females and it elicited behavioral responses in adult males, confirming its function as a female sex pheromone. Using behavioral and electrophysiological assays, we localized the site of pheromone production on the tenth abdominal tergite where an adult female-specific gland is found. Females whose glands were ablated were significantly less attractive to males than sham-operated control females.
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Liang, D., Schal, C. Volatile sex pheromone in the female German cockroach. Experientia 49, 324–328 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01923412
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01923412