trans-α-Necrodyl isobutyrate, the sex pheromone of the grape mealybug, Pseudococcus maritimus

Headspace volatiles of virgin female grape mealybugs contained a single compound that elicitited responses from antennae of males in GC–electroantennogram analyses. The structure, identified as ( R ∗ , R ∗ )- trans -(3,4,5,5-tetramethylcyclopent-2-en-1-yl)methyl 2-methylpropanoate, an irregular, non-head-to-tail monoterpenoid, was confirmed by synthesis.