CONSTITUENTS OF WING GLAND AND ABDOMINAL HAIR-PENCIL SECRETIONS OF MALE AFRICAN SUGARCANE BORER, ELDANA-SACCHARINA WALKER (LEPIDOPTERA, PYRALIDAE)

In addition to trans-3,7-dimethyl-6-octen-4-olide (eldanolide), vanill in, and 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, identified by French workers in the win g gland and abdominal hair pencil secretions of the male African sugar cane borer, Eldana saccharina, we have, in an earlier note, reported t he presence of several other terpenoid, aromatic, and unbranched-chain compounds such as, (Z)-3,7-dimethylocta-2,6-dienoic acid, 6,10, 14-tr imethyl-2-pentadecanol, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzyl alcohol, 1-octadecan e thiol, 16-hexadecanolide, and 18-octadecanolide in these secretions. In the present paper experimental details and spectral evidence suppo rting the identification of these compounds, as wen as the identificat ion of (Z)-9-hexadecenal and cis-3,7-dimethyl-6-octen-4-olide (cis-eld anolide), are reported. Using electroantennography it was found that m ale and female antennae reacted approximately equally strongly to both secretions. This result was confirmed in analyses of the secretions u sing coupled gas chromatography-electroantennography and it was found that male as well as female antennae responded to eldanolide. Vanillin , substituted phenols related to vanillin, and some oxygenated monoter penes elicited weak responses in male and female antennae. In some ana lyses 6,10, 14-trimethyl-2-pentadecanol, present in the secretions of the insect, gave a strong antennal response. The results obtained in d ynamic and static headspace determinations showed that several of the organic compounds present in the glandular secretions are released in detectable quantities and are present in widely varying quantitative r atios in the effluvia of individual calling male moths.