Quantitive variation of male and female-specific compounds in 99 drosophilid flies

We recently identified 51 male- and female-specific compounds – many of which function as sex pheromones – in 99 drosophilid species1. Here, we report that despite many of these compounds being shared between species, their quantities differ significantly.

For example, although 34 drosophilid species share the male-specific compound cis-vaccenyl acetate (cVA), which plays a critical role in regulating various social and sexual behaviors, the amount of cVA can differ by up to 600-fold between different species. Additionally, we found 7-tricosene, the cuticular hydrocarbon pheromone, present in 35 Drosophila species. Our findings indicate that 7-tricosene is equally present in both sexes of 14 species, more abundant in males of 14 species, and more abundant in females of 7 species.