Moth Courtship and the Role of Pheromones

Moths use pheromones for long-distance courtship, with males detecting female signals from 6 miles away. In 1959, Adolf Butenandt identified bombykol, a pheromone that triggers male moths' flutter dance. Pheromones also play roles in reproduction, food tracking, and predator awareness across species. The McClintock effect, suggesting human pheromonal influence on menstrual cycles, remains controversial.

Long-Distance Communication in Moths

Courtship in moths begins from miles away. Female moths release chemical signals detectable by males from 6 miles (10 km) away.

Discovery of Bombykol

• In 1959, Adolf Butenandt extracted a chemical from 500,000 female oriental silkworm moths.
• This chemical, named bombykol, caused males to perform a “flutter dance.”
• He categorized these chemical signals as pheromones, which trigger responses in the same species.

Pheromones in Other Organisms

Pheromones play vital roles in:

• Reproduction – Queen bees use pheromones to attract mates.
• Alarm Signals – Ants leave pheromone trails to food sources.
• Predator Awareness – Some species detect threats through chemical signals.

How Pheromones Are Detected

• Insects – Olfactory receptors on antennae detect pheromones.
• Mammals, Reptiles, Amphibians – Pheromones are detected by the vomeronasal organ (VNO) at the base of the nasal septum.

The McClintock Effect and Human Pheromones

• In 1971, Martha McClintock observed menstrual cycle synchronization among college women.
• She hypothesized pheromonal influence but later studies challenged the validity of the effect.
• The existence of pheromones in humans and the VNO in adults remains debated.

 

 

Pheromones play an important role in the mating of insects, including moths, where males have been known to travel miles following a trail of a female-emitted pheromone in the air. Pheromone traps have been developed that are used for insect control. This image depicts the oriental silkworm moths (Bombyx mori) used by Adolf Butenandt to isolate the original pheromone.