Flavanone glycosides as oviposition stimulants in a papilionid butterfly,Papilio protenor

Identification of chemical compounds responsible for the oviposition behavior in a Rutaceae feeder,Papilio protenor demetrius, was undertaken with the epicarp of sour orange (Citrus natsudaidai) which exhibited potent stimulatory activity as did its leaves for egg-laying by the females. The stimulants were present in the hydrosoluble fraction, and the kairomonal activity displayed by the peel was regarded as originating from the synergistic effect of the total chemical complex. One of the active compounds was identified as a flavanone glycoside, naringin (naringenin-7-neohesperidoside), which, although showing no appreciable effectiveness when bioassayed alone, elicited positive response at the concentration of 0.2% either when admixed with other unidentified components or provided the females had been conditioned with them in advance. Another flavanone glycoside, hesperidin (hesperetin-7-rutinoside) that was contained in a trace amount in the peel also had a positive effect comparable to that of naringin under similar conditions, while their corresponding aglycones were less active or inactive. In contrast, a flavone glycoside, rhoifolin, coexisting in the peel, and some other flavones and flavonols tested as possible candidates for oviposition stimulants were all found entirely ineffective.