(3Z,6Z,9Z,12Z,15Z)-Pentacosapentaene, a Key Pheromone Component of the Fir Coneworm Moth, Dioryctria abietivorella

The sex pheromone of the fir coneworm moth consists of a blend of (3Z,6Z,9Z,12Z,15Z)-pentacosapentaene and (9Z, 11E)-tetradecadienyl acetate. Analogous blends of polyunsaturated, long-chain hydrocarbons with much shorter chain aldehydes or alcohols recently have been discovered in three other moth species in the superfamily Pyraloidea. These combinations of components from two distinct structural classes may represent an important and widespread new pheromone blend motif within the Lepidoptera.