CHEMOTAXONOMY OF THE COTTON LEAF-ROLLER (LEPIDOPTERA, PYRALIDAE) IN JAPAN WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO DIFFERENCES IN SEX-PHEROMONES

Male responses to virgin females' signals, pheromone gland extracts an d synthetic pheromone blends, as well as pheromone profiles, were comp ared among four populations of the cotton leaf-roller collected from t he Chinese bottle tree (CBT), the linden tree (LND), the cotton-rosema llow (CRM) and the hibiscus (HBS). Neither virgin female moths nor the sex pheromone gland extracts of the female CBT and LND had any cross- attractiveness for the male CRM and HBS. Highly unsuccessful cross mat ing and genetic incompatibility were also observed between the CBT and the CRM. (E, Z)- and (E, E)-10,12-16: ALDs were detected in the phero mone gland of the female CBT and LND in a ratio of 77.0:23.0 and 78.5: 21.5, respectively, but only (E, Z)-10,12-16: ALD was found in the fem ale CRM and HBS. These analytical results agreed well with the results of bioassays performed with synthetic compounds in a cage. The male C BT and LND responded well to 7:3 and 8:2 mixtures of synthetic (E, Z)- and (E, E)-10,12-16: ALDs, as did the male CRM and HBS to 9:1 and 10: 0 mixtures of these isomers. The first two populations of the cotton l eaf-roller seemed to have been already reproductively isolated from th e last two. From these results, and with reference to the morphologica l and biological differences reported on earlier, we confirmed that th e cotton leaf-roller in Japan is comprised of Notarcha basipunctalis ( BREM.) (CBT and LND) and N. derogata (FAB.) (CRM and HBS).