Defensive chemicals of two species of Trachypachus motschulski

Athula B. Attygalle, Xiaogang Wu, Josef Ruzicka, Sheetal Rao, Silvina Garcia, Kithsiri Herath, Jerrold Meinwald, David R. Maddison, Kipling W. Will

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

22 Scopus citations

Abstract

Analyses of pygidial gland contents of two species of a previously uninvestigated family of beetles (Trachypachidae) by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) revealed that their chemistry is similar to that reported from many members of the family Carabidae. Nevertheless, the composition of defensive gland fluids of the two species Trachypachus slevini and T. gibbsii differs sufficiently to distinguish between the two species solely on the basis of their defensive chemistry. The major components of T. slevini glandular fluid are methacrylic, tiglic, and octanoic (= caprylic) acids, together with the hydrocarbon (Z)-9-pentacosene. In contrast, the glandular contents of T. gibbsii contain a rather unique mixture of polar and nonpolar compounds, the principal constituents of which are methacrylic and ethacrylic acids (= 2-ethylacrylic acid), together with 2-phenylethanol, 2-phenylethyl methacrylate, 2-phenylethyl ethacrylate, and (Z)-9-pentacosene.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)577-588
Number of pages12
JournalJournal of Chemical Ecology
Volume30
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2004

Keywords

  • Defensive secretion
  • Methacrylic acid
  • Octanoic acid
  • Tiglic acid
  • Trachypachidae
  • Trachypachus gibbsii
  • Trachypachus slevini

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