SEX ATTRACTANT FOR THE PANDORA MOTH (COLORADIA PANDORA DAVISI, LEPIDOPTERA: SATURNIIDAE) IN ARIZONA

Pandora moth (Coloradia pandora) outbreaks are characterized by their extensive duration, lasting 8 to 10 years, albeit with a mitigating factor: defoliation occurs biennially, lessening the ecological and economic impacts on forest ecosystems. Forest managers actively seek methods to monitor Pandora moth populations to predict and mitigate potential outbreak-related risks. In this study, we explored the use of pheromone-based attractants in the subspecies Coloradia pandora davisi. Our investigation, involving the capture of 8,644 moths over two years, incorporated five iterative experiments designed to evaluate the effectiveness of various lure compositions. These compositions involved combinations of (E10,Z12)-hexadecadienal (E10Z12-16:Ald), (E10,Z12)-hexadecadienyl acetate (E10Z12-16:Ac), and (E10,E12)-hexadecadienyl acetate (E10E12-16:Ac). Comparisons with the C. p. pandora subspecies, common in the western United States, revealed shared attractant components but differing optimal ratios. The best lure composition for C. p. davisi was 100 E10Z12-16:Ald: 50 E10Z12-16:Ac: 3.0 E10E12-16:Ac. These findings advance our understanding of pheromone chemistry in North American saturniid moths and offer insights for population monitoring and management. Moreover, they underscore the significance of E10Z12-16:Ald and E10Z12-16:Ac in lure blends and the potential for geographical variations in compound ratios within Coloradia populations.