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Female Sex Pheromone in Trails of the Minute Pirate Bug, Orius minutus (L)

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Abstract

Orius minutus (L.) (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae) is a natural enemy of agricultural pests such as thrips, aphids, and various newly hatched insect juveniles. In this study, we conducted 1) behavioral assays for evidence of contact sex pheromone activity in trails of O. minutus, and 2) chemical analysis to identify the essential chemical components of the trails. Males showed arrestment to trails of mature virgin females but not to trails from either conspecific nymphs or immature females. Females also showed arrestment to trails from conspecific males, although the response was weaker than that exhibited by males. The activity of female trails lasted for at least 46 h after deposition. Males showed a response irrespective of mating experience. Following confirmation that a contact sex pheromone was present in the trails of female O. minutus, we used a bioassay-driven approach to isolate the active chemicals. After fractionation on silica gel, the n-hexane fraction was found to be biologically active to males. A major compound in the active fraction was (Z)-9-nonacosene; this compound was found only in trail extracts of mature virgin females. Synthetic (Z)-9-nonacosene arrested O. minutus males, indicating that it is the major active component of the contact sex pheromone in the trails of female O. minutus.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Ikuko Hashimoto for her assistance with rearing the insects at NIAS and with performing the laboratory experiments. This work was supported by the Council for Science, Technology and Innovation (CSTI), the Cross-ministerial Strategic Innovation Promotion Program (SIP), and the “Technologies for creating next-generation agriculture, forestry and fisheries” program (funding agency: Bio-oriented Technology Research Advancement Institution, NARO).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Insect Interaction Research Unit, National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, NARO, 1-2 Ohwashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0851, Japan

    Taro Maeda

  2. Laboratory of Chemical Ecology, Central Region Agricultural Research Center, NARO, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8666, Japan

    Nao Fujiwara-Tsujii & Hiroe Yasui

  3. Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1, Tennoudai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8572, Japan

    Shigeru Matsuyama

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  1. Taro Maeda
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Correspondence to Taro Maeda.

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Maeda, T., Fujiwara-Tsujii, N., Yasui, H. et al. Female Sex Pheromone in Trails of the Minute Pirate Bug, Orius minutus (L). J Chem Ecol 42, 433–443 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-016-0702-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-016-0702-2

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