2-Phenylethanol, a presumed sexual stimulant produced by the male cabbage looper moth, Trichoplusia ni

Abstract

A sex pheromone produced by male cabbage looper moths, Trichoplusia ni (Hübner), has been isolated from the genital scent brushes and identified as 2-phenylethanol. It is shown conclusively to elicit specific behavioural responses in the female (such as wing vibration and abdominal elevation), as determined by a novel behavioural laboratory bioassay. This is taken as further evidence that the male pheromone of T. ni acts as a sexual stimulant (aphrodisiac) prior to mating. 2-Phenylethanol represents the first identification of a genital scent brush pheromone in the family Noctuidae, and of a male pheromone in the subfamily Plusiinae.