alpha-Cedren-14-al: minor aggregation pheromone component of Gnatocerus cornutus (F.) (Coleoptera : Tenebrionidae)

The minor aggregation pheromone produced by male broad-horned flour beetle, Gnatocerus cornutus (F.) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), was investigated. Vo latiles from 3,500,000 male day equivalents (MDE) (ca. 10,000 male x 1 year ) were applied to silica gel and 5% silver nitrate impregnated silicagel co lumn chromatography followed by preparative gas liquid chromatography to yi eld the major pheromone component (acoradiene, 350 mg; 100 ng/MDE) and the minor pheromone component (1.1 mg; 0.31 ng/MDE). The minor component was id entified as alpha-cedren-14-al by chemical and spectroscopic methods. The m ajor (acoradiene) and the minor (alpha-cedren-14-al) components were active at more than 100 and 3.1 pg per disk, respectively, but both components sh owed no synergistic effect.