Journal of Chemical Ecology (2021) 47, 732-739

Marc Clement Bouwer, Luki-Marie Scheepers, Bernard Slippers, Egmont Richard Rohwer and Jeremy D. Allison (2021)
The sex pheromone of the pine brown-tail moth, Euproctis terminalis (Lepidoptera: Erebidae)
Journal of Chemical Ecology 47 (8-9), 732-739
Abstract: The pine brown tail moth, Euproctis terminalis (Walker 1855), is a periodic pest in pine plantations in South Africa. The larvae feed on pine needles and can cause severe defoliation when population densities are high. Population densities fluctuate temporally and spatially, complicating the prediction of potential growth loss and tree mortality. The aim of this study was to identify the sex pheromone of the pine brown tail moth to provide stakeholders with a tool for monitoring it. Gas chromatography-electroantennogram detection and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analyses of female pheromone gland extracts identified the major component as (Z,Z,Z,Z)-7,13,16,19-docosatetraen-1-ol isobutyrate. Traps baited with (Z,Z,Z,Z)-7,13,16,19-docosatetraen-1-ol isobutyrate caught more males than unbaited traps. A delta trap was shown to be a superior design compared to a bucket funnel trap. This pheromone can now be used for monitoring E. terminalis in pine plantations.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Bernard Slippers, Jeremy D. Allison

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

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Euproctis terminalis	Pine (Pinus)	South Africa