Journal of Chemical Ecology. Vol. 21. No. 12. 1995 BEHAVIOR OF PROCESSIONARY MALES (Thaumetopoea pityocampa) INDUCED BY SEX PHEROMONE AND ANALOGS IN A WIND TUNNEL CARMEN QUERO, FRANCISCO CAMPS, and ANGEL GUERRERO* Department of Biological Organic Chemistry, C, I. D, (CSIC) Jordi Girona. 18-26, 08034-Barcelona, Spain (Received April 24, 1995; accepted July 23, 1995) Abstract--The behavioral response of processionary males (Thaumetopoea pityoeampa} to the natural pheromone (Z J-13-hexadecen-I I-ynyl acetate (l) and structurally related analogs in a wind tunnel is presented. Stereomerically pure Z-I and a mixture with the E isomer in 80:20 ratio elicited similar attraction responses at I #g and higher. The activity was dose-dependent, being optimum at 1 #g with 90% and 80% of males contacting with the source in the presence of the Z-1 and Z/E-I, respectively, 1 l-Hexadecynyl acetate (2) functioned as a pheromone mimic, being able to induce the complete mate- finding behavioral sequence~ although its activity was much lower than that of the pheromone. (Z)-13-Hexadecen-I l-ynyl alcohol (3) and. particularly, (ZJ-13-hexadecen-I l-ynal (4~ were potent inhibitors of the upwind flight response in mixtures with Z-I in 99: I. 95:5, and 91:9 ratios. (Z)-I,I,I- Trifluoro-16-nonadecen-14-yn-2-one (5) also inhibited the response of males to pheromone, particularly in the source contact behavior. Comparison with activity displayed by analogs in field tests is also reported. Key Words--Sex pheromone, processionary moth. 777aumetopoea pityo- tampa, Lepidoptera. Thaumetopoeidae. behavior, wind tunnel. INTRODUCTION The pine processionary moth Thaumetopoea pityocampa (Lepidoptera, Thau- metopoeidae) is one of the major defoliator pine pests in southern Europe and North Africa. Some other countries of Central Europe (Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, etc.) may also suffer scattered attacks. The *To whom correspondence should be addressed. 1957 (X'~98-O331/95/1200- J957507 5010 r~, 1995 Ptenum Publishing Corpt~rafion