RESEARCH ARTICLE Identification of the Sex Pheromone of the Tree Infesting Cossid Moth Coryphodema tristis (Lepidoptera: Cossidae) Marc Clement Bouwer 1*, Bernard Slippers 2, Dawit Degefu 2, Michael John Wingfield 2, Simon Lawson 3, Egmont Richard Rohwer 4 1 Department of Chemistry/Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, Gauteng, South Africa, 2 Department of Genetics/Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, Gauteng, South Africa, 3 Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry/Ecosciences Precinct, University of the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia, 4 Department of Chemistry/Center for Chromatography, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, Gauteng, South Africa *
[email protected] Abstract OPEN ACCESS The cossid moth (Coryphodema tristis) has a broad range of native tree hosts in South Af- Citation: Bouwer MC, Slippers B, Degefu D, Wingfield MJ, Lawson S, Rohwer ER (2015) rica. The moth recently moved into non-native Eucalyptus plantations in South Africa, on Identification of the Sex Pheromone of the Tree which it now causes significant damage. Here we investigate the chemicals involved in Infesting Cossid Moth Coryphodema tristis pheromone communication between the sexes of this moth in order to better understand its (Lepidoptera: Cossidae). PLoS ONE 10(3): ecology, and with a view to potentially develop management tools for it. In particular, we e0118575. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0118575 characterize female gland extracts and headspace samples through coupled gas chroma- Academic Editor: Marcelo Gustavo Lorenzo, tography electro-antennographic detection (GC-EAD) and two dimensional gas chromatog- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, BRAZIL raphy mass spectrometry (GCxGC-MS).