Spider orchid pheromone

Bee (Andrena spp., Psithyrus sp., Xylocopa varipuncta) male territory marker, male female attractant (OD-R) spider orchid pheromone mimicry... 

Schiestl, F. R, Ayasse, M., Paulus, H. D. et al. (2000). Sex pheromone mimicry in the early spider orchid (Ophrys sphegodes) patterns of hydrocarbons as the key mechanism for pollination by sexual deception. Journal of Comparative Physiology A 186 567-574. 

The solid alkanes from C20H42 onward are wax, tar, and asphaltic bitumen. Bitumen is used for the construction of asphalt roads. One of the uses of waxes, such as C23H48, C25H52, and C27H56, in nature is ecological. These waxes are produced by the female bees and used as pheromones (sex attractants) to attract male bees. The orchid (called the spider orchid) also produces this mixture of waxes, attracts the male bees, and makes the bees its agent of pollination. All these materials have immense importance to our well-being and, of course, to the female bees and the orchid ... 

Problem 4.1 Three components of the sex pheromone of the female sand bee Ophrys sphegodes) are saturated hydrocarbons containing 23,25, and 27 carbon atoms. How many H atoms does each of these alkanes contain Interestingly, the early spider orchid emits a similar hydrocarbon mixture to attract male sand bees to pollinate its flowers. 

The predators discussed up to this point search for prey by using their ability to perceive certain chemical clues. Some unusual predators have evolved the ability to attract their prey with scents that mimic the odor of a valuable resource (see reviews of chemical mimicry in refs. 9 and 39). Several groups of spiders lure male insect prey with scents that mimic the sex pheromone scents of females of the prey species (see reviews in refs. 9,13,40, and 41). To the best of our knowledge, these spiders are the only predators that mimic sex pheromones. However, the spiders share some similarities with the diverse orchids which mimic insect sex pheromones to lure pollinators (9, 42, 43) and with the predatory fireflies, which practice elaborate mimicry of visual sexual signals to lure their prey heterospecific male fireflies (44). 

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See also in sourсe #XX -- [ ]

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