Alpha-cedren-14-al, minor aggregation pheromone component of Gnatocerus cornutus (F.) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

The minor aggregation pheromone produced by hale broad-horned flour beetle, Gnatocerus cornutus (F.) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), was investigated. Volatiles from 3,500,000 male day equivalents (MDE) (ca. 10,000 (male) X 1 year) were applied to silica gel and 5% silver nitrate impregnated silica gel column chromatography followed by preparative gas liquid chromatography to yield the major pheromone component (acoradiene, 350 mg; 100 ng/MDE) and the minor pheromone component (1.1 mg; 0.31 ng/MDE). The minor component was identified as alpha-cedren-14-al by chemical and spectroscopic methods. The major (acoradiene) and the minor (alpha cedren-14-a1) components were active at more that 100 and 3.1 pg per disk, respectively, but both components showed no synergistic effect