Artifacts and Pheromone Blends from Nezara spp. and Other Stink Bugs (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae)

Abstract

Isomeric compounds reportedly released by mature males of Nezara viridula as attractants for conspecific females are evidently artifacts formed by dimerization of (E)-4-oxo-2-hexenal. Additional analyses of the male-specific volatiles from Italian, Australian, Brazilian, and Japanese populations of N. viridula verify that at least two distinctive pheromone strains exist, but an active synthetic pheromone has not yet been developed. Analyses of volatiles from N. antennata and Acrosternum aseadum males are also reported showing that the native Japanese Nezara sp., and species in the sister genus Acrosternum, produce species-specific blends based on the same compounds as N. viridula: (Z)-α-bisabolene (1-methyl-4-(1,5-dim ethyl-(Z)-1,4- hexadienyl)-cyclohexene), and trans- and cis-1,2-epoxides of (Z)-α-bisabolene. The trans-/cis- 1,2-epoxide ratio of N. antennata is within the range found for most N. viridula populations, but the blend from Japanese N. viridula males deviates radically from those of other conspecific populations.