A sex pheromone produced by males of the cockroach Nauphoeta cinerea

Abstract Males of Nauphoeta cinerea produce a sex pheromone, principally in the abdomen, which attracts the female and functions as an arrestant, keeping her in the proper position long enough for connection to be made. The pheromone (seducin) stimulates receptive virgin females as well as females shortly after parturition. Insertion of the spermatophore in the bursa copulatrix or the presence of the ootheca in the uterus inhibits the female's response to the male's pheromone. Substances extracted from bodies of nine species of cockroaches (adult males and females or larvae) induce overt sexual behaviour in females of N. cinerea .