Sex Pheromone Gland of the Navel Orangeworm, Amyelois transitella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) Location, Bioassay and in Vitro Maintenance

• Published in: The Florida entomologist 1986-03, Vol.69 (1), p.169-174
• Main Authors: Srinivasan, Asoka, Coffelt, J. A., Norman, Phillipa, Williams, Beverly
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amyelois transitella; Animal glands; Bioassay; Histology; Moths; Native culture; Pheromone glands; Pheromones; Pyralidae; Sex attractants; Skin glands; Virgin females
• ISSN: 0015-4040; 1938-5102
• DOI: 10.2307/3494758

Anatomical studies of the sex pheromone gland of the female navel orangeworm, Amyelois transitella (Walker), revealed the gland to be a broad, chevron-shaped structure located on the ventrolateral surface of the intersegmental membrane between abdominal segments VIII and IX. Support for this finding was obtained by bioassay and gas chromatographic analyses of extracts that were prepared from various portions of the terminal abdominal segments of female moths. Histological examination showed that the gland consists of a single layer of specialized columnar epidermal cells. Sex pheromone glands were obtained from surface-sterilized abdominal segments of 2 to 3-day-old virgin females and subsequently cultured for up to 7 days in either chemically defined or modified Grace's medium. Bioassays of extracted medium in which sex pheromone glands had been maintained indicated that more pheromone was recovered from modified Grace's medium than from the chemically defined growth substrate. /// Estudios anatómicos de la glándula de feromona sexual de la Amyelois transitella (Walker), reveló que la glándula era una estructura ancha en forma de cheurón localizada en la superficie ventro-lateral de la membrana intersegmental entre los segmentos abdominales VIII y IX. Este descubrimiento es apoyado por bio-ensayo y analysis de gas cromatográfico de extractos que fueron preparados de varias porciones de los segmentos terminales del abdomen de polillas hembras. Exámenes histológicos demostraron que la glándula consiste de una sola capa de clulas especializadas de epidermis columnar. Glándulas de feromonas sexuales fueron obtenidas de la superficie esterilizada de segmentos abdominales de hembras vírgenes de 2 a 3 días de edad, y subsecuentemente cultivadas hasta 7 días en un medio químicamente definido o en el medio Grace modificado. Bio-ensayos del medio extraido en el cual las glándulas de feromonas sexuales han sido mantenidas, indicaron que más feromonas fueron recuperadas del medio Grace modificado, que de sustratos de medios químicamente definidos.