Journal of Chemical Ecology (2001) 27, 1163-1176

Gehard Gries, Paul W. Schaefer, Regine Gries, Jan Liska and Tadao Gotoh (2001)
Reproductive character displacement in Lymantria monacha from northern Japan?
Journal of Chemical Ecology 27 (6), 1163-1176
Abstract: Our objective was to test the hypothesis that the pheromone blend and/or diel periodicity of pheromonal communication differ in populations of the nun moth, Lymantria monacha (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae), from eastern Asia (northern Honshu, Japan) and Central Europe (Bohemia, Czech Republic). Coupled gas chromatographic-electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD) analyses of pheromone gland extract of female L. monacha from Japan confirmed the presence of compounds previously identified in pheromone extracts of L. monacha from Bohemia, as follows: (Z)-7-octadecene, 2-methyl-(Z)-7-octadecene (2me-Z7-18Hy), cis-7,8-epoxy-octadecane (monachalure), and cis-7,8-epoxy-2-methyloctadecane (disparlure). Field experiments in Honshu suggested that (+)-monachalure is the major pheromone component of L. monacha. 2me-Z7-18Hy significantly enhanced attractiveness of (+)-monachalure. Addition of (+)-disparlure to (+)-monachalure plus 2me-Z7-18Hy in Honshu and Bohemia increased attractiveness of lures by 1.2 and 20 times, respectively, indicating that (+)-disparlure is of least and most significance in the respective L. monacha populations. Moreover, capture of male L. monacha in pheromone-baited traps between 18:00 and 24:00 hr in Bohemia and 2:00 and 5:00 hr in Honshu revealed a markedly different diel periodicity of pheromonal communication. Pheromonal communication late at night and use of (+)-monachalure, rather than (+)-disparlure, as the major pheromone component by L. monacha in Honshu may have resulted from interspecific competition with coseasonal L. fumida, which uses the early night for pheromonal communication and (+)-disparlure as major pheromone component. Whether communication channel divergence of L. monacha in Honshu indeed constitutes a case of reproductive character displacement is difficult to prove. The evolution of such divergence in sympatric populations of L. fumida and L. monacha would have to be demonstrated.
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Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Gerhard Gries, Paul W. Schaefer

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
pheromones/attractants/traps

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Lymantria monacha		Japan