In plant bugs (Miridae), females produce sex pheromones in the metathoracic scent gland, which in most other true bugs (Heteroptera) is responsible for chemical defense. The possibility that the metathoracic gland secretion of male plant bugs plays a role other than defense has been largely overlooked. Here we present evidence for a pine inhabiting mirid, Phytocoris difficilis Knight, showing that hexyl butyrate and (E)-2-hexenyl butyrate are abundantly produced only in males, and that these metathoracic gland compounds elicit strong antennal responses in conspecific males and totally interrupt attraction of males to the female-produced sex pheromone. These results suggest that in at least some plant bugs the male metathoracic scent gland esters have a natural communicative function as anti-sex pheromones, probably to repel other males from further mating attempts. From a practical standpoint, synthetic anti-sex pheromones may be useful for mating disruption of economically important plant bugs.
Species 1: Heteroptera Miridae Phytocoris difficilis (plant bug)
Keywords: attraction inhibition, hexyl butyrate
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