Investigation of long-range female sex pheromone of the European tarnished plant bug, Lygus rugulipennis: chemical, electrophysiological, and field studies.

The European tarnished plant bug, Lygus rugulipennis, is an important pest of agricultural and horticultural crops throughout Europe. Adult male L. rugulipennis were previously shown to be attracted to traps baited with live virgin females, which suggests the females produce a sex pheromone. Volatiles produced by virgin female L. rugulipennis were shown to contain three components, hexyl butyrate, (E)-2-hexenyl butyrate, and (E)-4-oxo-2-hexenal which elicited electroantennographic (EAG) responses from males in analyses by linked gas chromatography–electroantennography (GC-EAG). They were produced in 1.5:1:0.08 ratio, respectively, by single females. Collections from 1, 2, or 4 virgin female…