The Aggregation Pheromone of the German Cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.) (Dictyoptera : Blattellidae) : Isolation and Identification of the Attractant Components of the Pheromone

Abstract

Attractant components of the aggregation pheromone of the German cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.) were isolated from frass-contaminated filter paper. Successive purification steps were monitored by olfactometer assay, and each attractant component was eventually identified by GC-MS and the assay on each preparative GC fraction. The attractatn comprised several volatile amines. Amine evaporation was restricted by salt formation with acid(s) in the excreta. All the identified ammonia and 12 amines exerted both chemotaxis and anemotaxis on B. germanica nymphs. Typical excretory materials such as ammonia, methylamine, dimethylamine, and trimethylamine were the major components. The most active component was 1-dimethylamino-2-methyl-2-propanol (ED50=ca. 10 pmol /l air), which was 50 to 1, 000 times more active than the others.