BERTHA ARMYWORM (LEPIDOPTERA: NOCTUIDAE): DETECTION OF A SEX PHEROMONE AND THE STIMULATORY EFFECT OF SOME SYNTHETIC CHEMICALS

A sex pheromone, detected in female moths of the bertha armyworm, Mamestra configurata Wlk., was extracted from females that were more than 3 days old. Males responded to the pheromone from 2 days of age until they died; younger males were not tested. Chemical and bioassay analyses indicated that the pheromone was an acetate.The stimulatory effect of several chemicals was determined with males in a laboratory bioassay. Sexual responses were induced by Z7-, Z9-, Z10-, Z11-, and Z13-hexadecen-1-ol acetates. The maximum response in the laboratory was from the Z10-isomer, but this compound was only weakly attractive to males in the field.