Isolation and identification of the sex pheromone of Hypsipyla grandella Zeller

Hypsipyla grandella is the major pest of mahogany (Swietenia sp.) and Spanish cedar (Cedrela sp.) plantations in Latin America and the Caribbean. Larval feeding causes changes in the apical dominance of the tree, leading to an abnormal development, and producing the growth of secondary branches that affect wood quality and yield. The female moth produces a sex pheromone that would be used for monitoring the mahogany shoot borer. The aim of this study was to isolate and identify the compounds present in that sex pheromone. In the lab was reared a colony of H. grandella to have virgin females and to isolate pheromone components by immersing glands of calling females in hexane and by using solid-phase microextraction (SPME). By using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry we identify the following compounds: Z9-tetradecen-1-ol (Z9- 14: OH), Z, E-9, 12-tetradecadien-1-ol (Z9E12–14:OH) and Z9-tetradecen-1-yl acetate (Z9-14:AC). Peaks were stablished based on comparison of retention times and MS spectra with standards.