d-Pinitol in Fabaceae: an Oviposition Stimulant for the Common Grass Yellow Butterfly, Eurema mandarina

Abstract

The common grass yellow butterfly, Eurema mandarina (formerly Eurema hecabe mandarina) (Lepidoptera, Pieridae), recently has been separated taxonomically from a subtropical population of Eurema hecabe in Japan. This species is widely distributed in the temperate region of Japan, and feeds mainly on various ligneous plants within the Fabaceae. We attempted to identify an oviposition stimulant for E. mandarina from its primary hosts, Albizia julibrissin and Lespedeza cuneata. In both hosts, crude extract and an aqueous fraction elicited oviposition responses from gravid females. A polar subfraction of the aqueous fraction also stimulated high oviposition-stimulatory activity, comparable to the original aqueous fraction, suggesting that E. mandarina females use water-soluble compounds for host recognition. Subsequent activity-directed fractionation by ion exchange chromatography indicated that one of the key substances was contained in the neutral/amphoteric fraction. Chemical analyses revealed that the active fractions of both hosts contained D-(+)-pinitol as the major component. We examined female responses to authentic D-pinitol and found that it induced oviposition responses at concentrations greater than 0.1 %. Since this cyclitol is omnipresent in Fabaceae, we conclude that D-pinitol plays a role in mediating oviposition of E. mandarina on fabaceous plants.

A cyanogenic glucoside of Trifolium repens deters oviposition by the common grass yellow Eurema mandarina

“…Under the same conditions of reversed‐phase flash column chromatography, this cyclitol is demonstrated to elute in the aqueous subfraction Tr‐3‐1, and its estimated concentration is 0.54% of fresh leaf weight (Honda et al ., ). We have previously reported that 0.5% (w/v) d ‐pinitol elicits 60% oviposition responses from E. mandarina females (Mukae et al ., ). Consequently, it is reasonable to conclude that the high oviposition responsiveness of E. mandarina to Tr‐3‐1 is attributed to d ‐pinitol.…”

“…Oviposition responses of females to the extract of T. repens leaves, its fractions and authentic samples were examined by the same method reported previously (Mukae et al ., ). An artificial plant model (height 8 cm) with 12 round‐shaped leaves (40–135 mm 2 ) was used as a surrogate for sample deposition.…”

“…The common grass yellow E. mandarina widely inhabits Japan and utilizes silktree Albizia julibrissin (Fabaceae) and Chinese bushclover Lespdeza cuneata (Fabaceae). We previously demonstrated that d ‐pinitol and glycine betaine ( N , N , N ‐trimethylglycine) solely induce the oviposition of E. mandarina on these fabaceous hosts (Mukae et al ., ; Ohashi et al ., ). The eastern pale clouded yellow C .…”

Unraveling the Host Plant Alternation of Cacopsylla pruni – Adults but Not Nymphs Can Survive on Conifers Due to Phloem/Xylem Composition

“…It is found in conifers, legumes (Fabaceae) and Caryophyllales such as Simmondsia chinensis ( Angyal and Macdonald, 1952 ; Dittrich and Korak, 1984 ; Guo and Oosterhuis, 1995 ; Chiera et al, 2006 ). D-pinitol induces oviposition of the Grass Yellow Butterfly Eurema mandarina ( Mukae et al, 2016 ). However, an influence of pinitol from the phloem of alfalfa on phloem-feeding pea aphid could not be found ( Campbell and Binder, 1984 ).…”

Phytophagous insect oviposition shifts in response to probability of flower abortion owing to the presence of basal fruits

“…Possible proximate cues for T. yuccasella to reject distal flowers with basal fruits as oviposition sites include tactile and/or chemical cues from fruits and/or flowers. There is overwhelming empirical evidence to show that many lepidopterans use multiple plant‐based cues to identify suitable oviposition sites and reject unsuitable ones, both within and between host plant species (reviewed in Renwick & Chew, ; Wennström et al., ; Ryuda et al., ; Mukae et al., ). Identifying specific cues that females use to respond to the presence of basal fruits is an avenue for further research.…”