Journal of Chemical Ecology, Vol. 30, No. 1, January 2004 (  C 2004) FIRST IDENTIFICATION OF A PUTATIVE SEX PHEROMONE IN A PRAYING MANTID LAWRENCE E. HURD, 1,∗ FREDERICK R. PRETE, 2 TAPPEY H. JONES, 3 TEIJPAL B. SINGH, 1 JASON E. CO, 3 and RICHARD T. PORTMAN 4 1 Department of Biology, Washington & Lee University, Lexington, Virginia 24450, USA 2 Visuo Technologies, LLC, 7823 Lotus Ave., Morton Grove, Ilinois 6005, USA 3 Department of Chemistry, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, Virginia 24450, USA 4 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74104, USA (Received June 4, 2003; accepted September 21, 2003) Abstract—Praying mantids are models for a wide variety of behavioral, phys- iological, and ecological studies, and sex pheromones have been assumed to be important components of their biology. However, no mantid pheromone has ever been identified. We collected volatiles emitted by females of the mantid, Sphodromantis lineola, via solid phase microextraction (SPME). Mass spectral analysis revealed the collected volatiles to be a mixture of pentadecanal and tetradecanal. We prepared a synthetic mixture of these compounds, and found that males were both attracted to this mixture and stimulated to exhibit typ- ical precopulatory behavior. We then examined male antennae with scanning electron microscopy, and confirmed the presence of porous antennal sensilla typical of insect pheromone receptors, i.e., that male mantids are equipped with the appropriate morphological apparatus to receive volatile chemical signals. Pheromones, in conjunction with visual and tactile cues, are thus an important feature of the reproductive biology of this, and undoubtedly other species of mantids. In addition to adding a crucial aspect of behavioral biology to our knowledge of this group, identification and synthesis of mantid pheromones may be a first step in attracting and aggregating these generalist predators for use in pest control. Key Words—behavioral assay, insect mating behavior, sex attractants, Spho- dromantis lineola. ∗ To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: hurdl@wlu.edu 155 0098-0331/04/0100-0155/0 C  2004 Plenum Publishing Corporation