Identification of Communal Oviposition Pheromones from the Black Fly Simulium vittatum: e0118904

The suite of pheromones that promote communal oviposition by Simulium vittatum, a North American black fly species, was identified and characterized using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, electrophysiological, and behavioral bioassays. Behavioral assays demonstrated that communal oviposition wa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2015-03, Vol.10 (3)
Main Authors: McGaha, Tommy W, Young, Ryan M, Burkett-Cadena, Nathan D, Iburg, Joseph P, Beau, Jeremy M, Hassan, Sayed, Katholi, Charles R, Cupp, Eddie W, Baker, Bill J, Unnasch, Thomas R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Simulium damnosum
Simulium vittatum
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Summary:The suite of pheromones that promote communal oviposition by Simulium vittatum, a North American black fly species, was identified and characterized using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, electrophysiological, and behavioral bioassays. Behavioral assays demonstrated that communal oviposition was induced by egg-derived compounds that were active at short range and whose effect was enhanced through direct contact. Three compounds (cis-9-tetradecen-1-ol, 1-pentadecene, and 1-tridecene) were identified in a non-polar solvent extract of freshly deposited S. vittatum eggs that were capable of inducing the oviposition response. Electroantennography demonstrated that two of these three compounds (1-pentadecene and 1-tridecene) actively stimulated antennal neurons. Identification of the oviposition pheromones of this family may be helpful in developing control measures for nuisance black flies and for medically-important species such as Simulium damnosum sensu lato.
ISSN:1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0118904