Species-specific pheromone communication in moths is often achieved by the precise control of the production of a multi-component sex pheromone blend in females and selective perception of pheromone compounds in males. Reproductive isolation mediated by sex pheromone can be enhanced by the sensitive detection of structurally related non-pheromone components that are not used as pheromone in the same species but used as pheromone components in similar species. Here, we identified several unsaturated aliphatic acetates inhibiting the attraction of male moths to conspecific female sex pheromone in the lightbrown apple moth, Epiphyas postvittana (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), through electroantennogram (EAG) and field trapping studies. In EAG screening with 46 pheromone and structurally related compounds, eleven compounds exhibited significant male-specific EAG responses at 1 µg dose. The EAG-active compounds were mainly mono- or di-unsaturated 14-carbon acetates. In subsequent field trapping tests to evaluate the behavioral activities of the EAG-active compounds on male attraction to the binary blend (E11-14:Ac + E9E11-14:Ac) of female sex pheromone of E. postvittana, each of nine compounds (E9-12:Ac, Z9-12:Ac, E9-14:Ac, Z9-14:Ac, Z10-14:Ac, Z11-14:Ac, Z12-14:Ac, Z9E11-14:Ac and Z9E12-14:Ac) displayed clear inhibition of male moths to the sex pheromone blend in a dose-dependent manner. Our findings provide useful information in understanding the pheromone communication system of E. postvittana and related species.

飞蛾的物种特异性信息素交流通常是通过精确控制雌性多组分性信息素混合物的产生和雄性信息素化合物的选择性感知来实现的。由性信息素介导的生殖分离可以通过灵敏检测结构相关的非信息素成分来增强，这些非信息素成分在同一物种中不被用作信息素，但在相似物种中被用作信息素成分。在这里，我们发现了几种不饱和脂肪族乙酸酯，它们抑制了雄性飞蛾对浅棕色苹果蛾Epiphyas postvittana 中同种雌性性信息素的吸引力（Walker）（鳞翅目：Tortricidae），通过触角电图（EAG）和场诱捕研究。在使用 46 种信息素和结构相关化合物进行 EAG 筛选中，11 种化合物在 1 µg 剂量下表现出显着的男性特异性 EAG 反应。EAG 活性化合物主要是单或双不饱和 14 碳乙酸酯。在随后的现场诱捕测试中，评估 EAG 活性化合物对E. postvittana雌性信息素二元混合物 ( E 11-14:Ac +  E 9 E 11-14:Ac) 的雄性吸引力的行为活性，每个九种化合物 ( E 9-12:Ac, Z 9-12:Ac, E 9-14:Ac, Z 9-14:Ac, Z10-14:Ac, Z11-14:Ac、Z 12-14:Ac、Z 9 E 11-14:Ac 和Z 9 E 12-14:Ac) 以剂量依赖性方式显示出雄性飞蛾对性信息素混合物的明显抑制。我们的发现为了解E. postvittana和相关物种的信息素通信系统提供了有用的信息。