Biological activities of juvenile hormone III skipped bisepoxide in last instar nymphs and adults of a stink bug, Plautia stali

Juvenile hormone III skipped bisepoxide (JHSB₃), methyl (2R,3S,10R)-2,3;10,11-bisepoxyfarnesoate was recently determined as a novel juvenile hormone (JH) in a stink bug, Plautia stali. To further confirm the biological function of JHSB₃ in this insect, its juvenilizing, reproduction-stimulating and diapause-terminating activities and the presence in the hemolymph were examined. Topical application of JHSB₃ to last instar nymphs inhibited their metamorphosis in a dose-dependent fashion. In allatectomized and diapausing adults, JHSB₃ application exerted stimulatory effects on the development of ovaries and ectadenia in females and males, respectively. JHSB₃ was detected from the hemolymph of reproductively active females by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis while its titer in the hemolymph collected from diapausing adults was too low to be detected. These results demonstrated that JHSB₃ has biological function as a JH in P. stali. Topical application of JHSB₃, its stereoisomers and 10R-JH III also indicated that compounds with the 2R,3S-configuration were more potent than those with the 2S,3R-configuration and 2,3-double bond.