Abstract
Larvae of the turnip sawfly, Athalia rosae ruficornis, feed exclusively on plants of the family Cruciferae. However, the adult insects are attracted to a Verbenaceae plant, Clerodendron trichotomum, and feed voraciously on its leaf surfaces. Two kairomonal substances that stimulate this feeding behavior were isolated from the leaves of C. trichotomum and identified. They are called clerodendrin B and D. Another substance called clerodendrin A is a major component in the leaves of cC. trichotomum, but it did not elicit a feeding response in the sawfly in spite of its structural similarity to clerodendrin B and D. The ecological functions of these kairomonal substances for the turnip sawfly are suggested here.
