Journal of Chemical Ecology, Vol. 23, No. 1, 1997 SEX PHEROMONE OF THE FRENCH BLACK CUTWORM MOTH, Agrotis ipsilon (LEPIDOPTERA: NOCTUIDAE): IDENTIFICATION AND REGULATION OF A MULTICOMPONENT BLEND J. F. PICIMBON,' C. GADENNE,2 J. M. BECARD, 2 J. L. CLEMENT,' and L. SRENG 1 '* 'UPR9024-CNRS Laboraloire de Neurobiohgie, Communication Chimique 31 Chemin Joseph Aiguier 13402 Marseille Cedex 20, France 2 INRA Station de Zoologie Domaine Si-Paul Site Agroparc 84914 Montfavet Cedex 9, France (Received February 20, 1996; accepted August 30, 1996) Abstract—The sex pheromone blend of a European strain of the black cutworm moth, Agrotis ipsilon (Hufnagel), was investigated. Chemical analyses of pheromone gland extracts from 4- to 8-day-old females showed that individual isolated glands contained only very small amounts of pheromone. High-res- olution gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) anal- yses showed the presence of c/s-T-dodecenyl acetate (Z7-12:Ac), cis-9- tetradecenyl acetate (Z9-14:Ac), cis-11-tetradecenyI acetate (Zll-14:Ac), ci's-11-hexadecenyl acetate (Zl1-16: Ac), and cis-11-hexadecenol (Zll- 16: OH) in biologically active pheromone gland extracts. Removing 27-12: Ac, Z9-14:Ac, or Zl1-16:Ac from the complete gland extract by GC trapping techniques strongly reduced the attractiveness of the pheromone blend tested in a wind tunnel. Lack of cis-5-decenyl acetate (Z5-10:Ac) or Zl1-16: OH did not affect the blend attractiveness. Chemical and behavioral analyses showed that pheromone components are produced during photophase, at least 2 hr before lights off. Quantitative data showed that decapitation inhibited the production of Z7-12:Ac, Z9-14:Ac, Zll-14:Ac, Zil-16:Ac, and Zll- 16: OH, but production in decapitated females was stimulated in response to injection of synthetic Heliothis zea PBAN (pheromone biosynthesis activating *To whom correspondence should be addressed. fCurrent address: Laboratoire de Neuroendocrinologie, URA CNRS 1138, Avenue des Facultes, University Bordeaux I, 33405 Talence Cedex, France. 211 0098-0331/97/0100-0211$12.50/0 CO 1997 Plenum Publishing Corporation