Phytoparasitica (1997) 25, 167-168
E. Dunkelblum and Z. Mendel (1997)
Sex pheromones of scale insects
Phytoparasitica 25 (2), 167-168
10th Conference of the Entomological Society of Israel, February 11, 1997, Bet Dagan, Israel, lecture
Abstract: Among the multitude of identified insect sex pheromones, only nine are pheromones of the superfamily Coccoidea, despite the fact that many scale insects are major pests. The main reasons that so few Coccoidea pheromones have been identified are that: (i) huge numbers of insects are required in order to isolate and purify sufficient amounts of pheromone for structure determination; and (ii) the molecules are relatively complex, containing in most cases chiral centers, and therefore both the identification and the synthesis are difficult. The structure of the first Coccoidea sex pheromone was published in 1977 and the last one in 1993. They consist of four diaspidid pheromones: California red scale (Aonidiella aurantii), yellow scale (A. citrina), white peach scale (Pseudaulacaspis pentagona) and San Jose scale (Quadraspidiotus perniciosus); two pseudococcid pheromones: the Comstock mealybug (Pseudococcus comstocki) and the citrus mealybug (Planococcus citri); and three matsucoccid pheromones: the red pine scale (Matsucoccus matsumurae = resinosae), the maritime pine scale (M. feytaudi) and the Israeli pine scale (M. josephi). Unfortunately, all of them are prepared at present only in research laboratories. Some of these pheromones are used for monitoring purposes. However, their use is rather limited and more research is required in order to incorporate them in IPM programs. The M. josephi pheromone has been identified and synthesized, as a racemic mixture, by our research group. The pheromone, which is also a kairomone of the predator Elatophilus hebraicus, is being used for research and silvicultural purposes such as monitoring population trends of the pest and the predator in pine forests in Israel. A novel synthesis of the P. citri pheromone was also developed by our group; it has been used mainly for research purposes. The sex pheromones of two other agriculturally important mealybugs in Israel, Planococcus ficus and Pseudococcus cryptus, await identification.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Database assignments for author(s): Zvi Mendel
Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
pheromones/attractants/traps
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
environment/habitat manipulation
