Paysandisia archon (Lepidoptera: Castniidae) is a pest on palms in Europe. The moth was introduced about twenty years ago, when infected palms were imported from South America. In P. archon, little is known about mate location and the putative activity of the male-produced sex pheromone. The aim of this study was, therefore, to study olfactory responses of P. archon to conspecifics, with and without visual cues, in a wind tunnel and in the field. Results showed that the virgin males exhibiting the scratching behavior, whether they were visible or not, attracted virgin females at long range. Females approached the males, and some landed close to them. In P. archon, the mate location is thus mediated by a long-range pheromone released by males during the scratching behavior. Our findings are providing new insights into the chemical ecology and mate location in P. archon and may serve to further develop efficiency in handling the pest.

中文翻译：

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由雄性产生的性信息素在 Paysandisia archon（鳞翅目：Castniidae）介导的远距离配偶吸引力的证据

Paysandisia archon（鳞翅目：Castniidae）是欧洲棕榈树上的害虫。这种飞蛾大约在二十年前被引入，当时受感染的棕榈树是从南美洲进口的。在 P. archon 中，对配偶位置和男性产生的性信息素的假定活动知之甚少。因此，本研究的目的是在风洞和野外研究 P. archon 对同种动物的嗅觉反应，有或没有视觉线索。结果表明，表现出抓挠行为的处女雄性，无论是否可见，都会远距离吸引处女雌性。雌性接近雄性，有些靠近它们。在 P. archon 中，配偶位置因此由雄性在抓挠行为期间释放的远程信息素介导。