Chemical ecology of astigmatid mites LXIX. Neryl formate [3,7-dimethyl-(Z)-2,6-octadienyl formate] as the alarm pheromone of an acarid mite, Histiogaster rotundus Woodring (Acari: Acaridae)

Abstract

Alarm pheromone activity was demonstrated in a hexane rinse of the mite Histiogaster rotundus Woodring (Acari: Acaridae). Silica gel column chromatography of the hexane rinse from 1,000 mites afforded an active fraction consisting solely of neryl formate [3,7-dimethyl-(Z)-2,6-octadienyl formate] by GC/MS analysis. Synthetic neryl formate triggered the same escape behavior at 1–100 ng. On average 6.7±0.5 ng of the pheromone was contained in a female, and 10.1±0.5 ng in a male.