INSECT PHEROMONES

Publisher Summary In the insect world, pheromones are signals for (1) reproductive behavior (sex and assembling pheromones), (2) alarm and defense, (3) territory and trail-marking, (4) social regulation and recognition, and (5) control of caste differentiation. Among most Lepidoptera, receptive virgin females assume a typical calling pose with the wings resting along the dorsal side and the abdomen bent sharply out from the normal body position. The sex pheromone scent released at this time from the glands in the abdominal tips causes intense excitement, antennal movement, and wing flutter in males. In some species of cockroaches, male glands are thought to produce a pheromone that stimulates mounting and feeding behavior by the female on the male's tergum. The male Nauphoeta cinerea produces a sex pheromone, named seducin, which attracts the female over a short distance and functions as an arrestant to keep her in the proper position long enough for connection to be made.