Sexual pheromones attraction

Moncho-Bogani, J., Lanuza, E., Hernandez, A., Novejarque, A. and Martinez-Garcia, F. (2002) Attractive properties of sexual pheromones in mice innate or learned Physiol. Behav. 77, 167-176. 

Sexual Pheromones Mediate Intersexual Attraction in Mice... 

As suggested by Beauchamp s group, a female s unlearnt attraction to male-soiled bedding is probably reflecting the rewarding properties of sexual pheromones. To date, the only attempt to demonstrate this hypothesis rendered inconclusive... 

Females of the desert spider Agenelopsis aperta emit a volatile pheromone that attracts conspecihc males (Riechert and Singer, 1995). This pheromone was identified as 8-methyl-2-nonanone (1 Fig. 4.1), a previously unknown arthropod semio-chemical. It was found by headspace analysis and abdominal washings of females 2 weeks after their hnal molt, when they become sexually receptive it was absent in females of other age classes. The pheromone attracted males in a three-choice arena system at doses as low as 500 ng (Papke et al., 2001). Another female-specific ketone, 6-methyl-3-heptanone (2), was not attractive. Very low doses of 1 (10-9 mg/ml applied to a hlter paper placed in empty juvenile female webs) also induced courtship behavior in males (Papke et al., 2001). The normal behavioral sequence was followed, except for phases which required input from the female. The ED50 value (mean effective dose) of 1 was 5.5x 10-4 mg/ml hexane. In contrast, ketone 2 only induced a response in some males at unnaturally high concentrations... 

The best understood of the sexual pheromones of social insects is the queen substance of honeybees. Interestingly, the queen substance used for queen control inside the nest is also the substance used by virgin queens to attract drones for mating. Callow and Johnston (1960) and Barbier and Lederer (1960) identified 9-keto-2(E)-decenoic acid ([E]-9-oxodec-2-enoic acid) (9-ODA) as major components of the queen mandibular glands. 9-Hydroxy-2(E)-decenoic acid is also present (Callow et al., 1964) and together both attract drones. Additional components of the queen retinue pheromone have recently been identified (Keeling et al., 2003). 

Protection Offered You can protect small areas from adult Japanese beetles by surrounding them with traps baited with floral lures and sexual pheromones. They attract lots of... 

Pheromones are divided into primer and releaser pheromones. They are also classified according to what kind of reaction they induce in the receiver, e.g., sexual pheromones, aggregation pheromones, or alarm pheromones. Substances used in baits to attract animals are called lures. They may be pheromones, synthetic analogues of pheromones, or other attractants. 

C.yHjoO, Mr 250.42, liquid, [a] -318° (CHCI3). A sexual pheromone of female scales of the genus Mat-sucocctis, in particular M. resinosae, M. matsumurae, and M. thunbergianaeThe natural attractant has the (6 ,10 )-configuration. The same partial structure as the unsaturated chain, namely (2 ,4 )-4,6-dimethyl-2,4-dien-7-one, is also present in the pheromones of M. feytaudi and M. josephi. ... 

Many insects metabolize terpenes they have received with their plant food to growth hormones and pheromones. Pheromones are luring and signal compounds (sociohormones) that insects and other organisms excrete in order to communicate with others like them, e.g. to warn (alarm pheromones), to mark food resources and their location (trace pheromones), as well of assembly places (aggregation pheromones) and to attract sexual partners for copulation (sexual pheromones). Harmless to the environment, pheromones may replace conventional insecticides to trap harmful and damaging insects such as bark beetles. 

Curtis, R.F., Ballantine, J.A., Keveme, E.B., Bonsall, R.W. Michael, R.P. 1971. Identification of primate sexual pheromones and the properties of synthetic attractants. Nature, 232, 396-398. 

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