Spodoptera litura is an important pest that causes significant economic damage to numerous crops worldwide. Sex pheromones (SPs) mediate sexual communication in S. litura and show a characteristic degree of rhythmic activity, occurring mainly during the scotophase; however, the specific regulatory mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we employed a genome-wide analysis to identify eight candidate circadian clock genes in S. litura. Sequence characteristics and expression patterns were analyzed. Our results demonstrated that some circadian clock genes might regulate the biosynthesis and perception of SPs by regulating the rhythmic expression of SP biosynthesis-related genes and SP perception-related genes. Interestingly, all potential genes exhibited peak expression in the scotophase, consistent with the SP could mediate courtship and mating behavior in S. litura. Our findings are helpful in elucidating the molecular mechanism by which circadian clock genes regulate sexual communication in S. litura.

斜纹夜蛾是一种重要的害虫，对全世界的许多作物造成重大经济损失。性信息素 (SPs) 在S. litura中介导性交流，并表现出特征程度的节律活动，主要发生在暗期；但是，具体的监管机制尚不清楚。在这里，我们采用全基因组分析来鉴定S. litura中的八个候选生物钟基因. 分析序列特征和表达模式。我们的研究结果表明，一些生物钟基因可能通过调节 SP 生物合成相关基因和 SP 感知相关基因的节律性表达来调节 SP 的生物合成和感知。有趣的是，所有潜在基因在暗期都表现出峰值表达，与 SP 一致，可以介导斜纹夜蛾的求偶和交配行为。我们的研究结果有助于阐明生物钟基因调节斜纹夜蛾性交的分子机制。