Pheromone of the Banana-Spotting Bug, Amblypelta lutescens lutescens Distant (Heteroptera: Coreidae): Identification, Synthesis, and Field Bioassay

The banana-spotting bug, Amblypelta lutescens lutescens Distant (Heteroptera: Coreidae), is one of the principal pests of tree fruits and nuts across northern and eastern Australia. Apart from visual damage assessment, there are currently no reliable methods for monitoring bug activity to aid manage...

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Main Authors: Ashot Khrimian, Harry A. C. Fay, Filadelfo Guzman, Kamlesh Chauhan, Chris Moore, Jeffrey R. Aldrich
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2012-01-01
Series:Psyche: A Journal of Entomology
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/536149
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author Ashot Khrimian
Harry A. C. Fay
Filadelfo Guzman
Kamlesh Chauhan
Chris Moore
Jeffrey R. Aldrich
author_facet Ashot Khrimian
Harry A. C. Fay
Filadelfo Guzman
Kamlesh Chauhan
Chris Moore
Jeffrey R. Aldrich
author_sort Ashot Khrimian
collection DOAJ
description The banana-spotting bug, Amblypelta lutescens lutescens Distant (Heteroptera: Coreidae), is one of the principal pests of tree fruits and nuts across northern and eastern Australia. Apart from visual damage assessment, there are currently no reliable methods for monitoring bug activity to aid management decisions. An attractant pheromone for this species that could be used as a trap lure could potentially fill this void. Earlier, two male-specific compounds were identified in airborne extracts from A. lutescens lutescens, (E,E)-α-farnesene and (R,E)-nerolidol; an unknown compound with a molecular weight 220 was also detected. We now report the identification of this hitherto unknown compound as (R,E,E)-α-farnesene-10,11-oxide. Synthesis of this epoxide was conducted using a regioselective asymmetric dihydroxylation of a sulfolene. A blend mimicking the natural proportions of (E,E)-α-farnesene, (R,E)-nerolidol, and (R,E,E)-α-farnesene-10,11-oxide attracted male and female A. lutescens lutescens as well as nymphs in the field, verifying that the aggregation pheromone comprises or is contained within this group of compounds.
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series Psyche: A Journal of Entomology
spelling doaj-art-8aa8032977dd464c8bd3d0e4877c24632025-08-20T03:37:37ZengWileyPsyche: A Journal of Entomology0033-26151687-74382012-01-01201210.1155/2012/536149536149Pheromone of the Banana-Spotting Bug, Amblypelta lutescens lutescens Distant (Heteroptera: Coreidae): Identification, Synthesis, and Field BioassayAshot Khrimian0Harry A. C. Fay1Filadelfo Guzman2Kamlesh Chauhan3Chris Moore4Jeffrey R. Aldrich5Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Building 007, Room 326, BARC-West, 10300 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD 20705, USADepartment of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, Horticulture and Forestry Science, 28 Peters Street, P.O. Box 1054, Mareeba, QLD 4880, AustraliaBeltsville Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Building 007, Room 326, BARC-West, 10300 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD 20705, USABeltsville Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Building 007, Room 326, BARC-West, 10300 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD 20705, USASchool of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, AustraliaBeltsville Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Building 007, Room 326, BARC-West, 10300 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD 20705, USAThe banana-spotting bug, Amblypelta lutescens lutescens Distant (Heteroptera: Coreidae), is one of the principal pests of tree fruits and nuts across northern and eastern Australia. Apart from visual damage assessment, there are currently no reliable methods for monitoring bug activity to aid management decisions. An attractant pheromone for this species that could be used as a trap lure could potentially fill this void. Earlier, two male-specific compounds were identified in airborne extracts from A. lutescens lutescens, (E,E)-α-farnesene and (R,E)-nerolidol; an unknown compound with a molecular weight 220 was also detected. We now report the identification of this hitherto unknown compound as (R,E,E)-α-farnesene-10,11-oxide. Synthesis of this epoxide was conducted using a regioselective asymmetric dihydroxylation of a sulfolene. A blend mimicking the natural proportions of (E,E)-α-farnesene, (R,E)-nerolidol, and (R,E,E)-α-farnesene-10,11-oxide attracted male and female A. lutescens lutescens as well as nymphs in the field, verifying that the aggregation pheromone comprises or is contained within this group of compounds.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/536149
spellingShingle Ashot Khrimian
Harry A. C. Fay
Filadelfo Guzman
Kamlesh Chauhan
Chris Moore
Jeffrey R. Aldrich
Pheromone of the Banana-Spotting Bug, Amblypelta lutescens lutescens Distant (Heteroptera: Coreidae): Identification, Synthesis, and Field Bioassay
Psyche: A Journal of Entomology
title Pheromone of the Banana-Spotting Bug, Amblypelta lutescens lutescens Distant (Heteroptera: Coreidae): Identification, Synthesis, and Field Bioassay
title_full Pheromone of the Banana-Spotting Bug, Amblypelta lutescens lutescens Distant (Heteroptera: Coreidae): Identification, Synthesis, and Field Bioassay
title_fullStr Pheromone of the Banana-Spotting Bug, Amblypelta lutescens lutescens Distant (Heteroptera: Coreidae): Identification, Synthesis, and Field Bioassay
title_full_unstemmed Pheromone of the Banana-Spotting Bug, Amblypelta lutescens lutescens Distant (Heteroptera: Coreidae): Identification, Synthesis, and Field Bioassay
title_short Pheromone of the Banana-Spotting Bug, Amblypelta lutescens lutescens Distant (Heteroptera: Coreidae): Identification, Synthesis, and Field Bioassay
title_sort pheromone of the banana spotting bug amblypelta lutescens lutescens distant heteroptera coreidae identification synthesis and field bioassay
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/536149
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