Attraction of Female Cabbage Looper Moths (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to Male-Produced Sex Pheromone

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Abstract
In a flight tunnel, female cabbage looper moths, Trichoplusia ni (Hübner), flew upwind in response to live male cabbage looper moths in a cage. Males attractive to females exhibited a calling posture similar to that of females that released sex pheromone; the terminal abdominal segments were partially extruded and wings were spread and vibrating. The responses of females to hexane extracts of male cabbage loopers, male abdominal extracts, and extracts of male terminal genital hairpencils were similar to female responses to caged males. Attraction of females to male hairpencil extracts was greatest with females 3–6 d old. Female cabbage loopers were attracted to male hairpencil extracts throughout the scotophase but were increasingly responsive toward the end of the scotophase, indicating a natural peak response near dawn. The apparent role reversal in mate-finding strategy may be part of an as yet unknown aggregation behavior in males.