7(Z)-
Pentacosene is an unsaturated cuticular hydrocarbon that acts as a contact sex pheromone in fruit flies. In different species and genotypes of
Drosophila, it can be found on both males and females.
1,2,3 Pentacosene may stimulate copulation either by itself at high concentrations or when combined with other alkenes.
4 Interestingly, the absolute level of pentacosene increases in
Drosophila females immediately after copulation.
3,1
1. Ferveur, J.-F., and Sureau, G. Simultaneous influences on male courtship of stimulatory and inhibitory pheromones produced by live sex-mosaic Drosophila melanogaster Proc. Biol. Sci. 263(1373),967-973(1996).
2. Siwicki, K.K., Riccio, P., Ladewski, L., et al. The role of cuticular pheromones in courtship conditioning of Drosophila males Learn. Mem. 12(6),636-645(2005).
3. Yew, J.Y., Cody, R.B., and Kravitz, E.A. Cuticular hydrocarbon analysis of an awake behaving fly using direct analysis in real-time time-of-flight mass spectrometry Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 105(20),7135-7140(2008).
4. Antony, C., Davis, T.L., Carlson, D.A., et al. Compared behavioral responses of male Drosophila melanogaster (Canton S) to natural and synthetic aphrodisiacs J. Chem. Ecol. 11(12),1617-1629(1985).
