Origins of chemical communication

Cyclocephala lurida mating

The female southern masked chafer (a scarabaeid beetle) releases a sex pheromone that attracts conspecific males. The presence of the same chemicals in the larval stage of this insect suggests that pheromone signals may have originated from larval odors. This work currently involves a collaboration with Dr. Daniel A. Potter (Entomology, University of Kentucky), Dr. Jerold Meinwald (Chemistry, Cornell), Dr. Athula Attygalle (Chemistry, Cornell), and Dr. Walter Leal (Japan).

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