TY - JOUR
T1 - Defensive production of formic acid (80%) by a carabid beetle (Galerita lecontei)
AU - Rossini, Carmen
AU - Attygalle, Athula B.
AU - González, Andrés
AU - Smedley, Scott R.
AU - Eisner, Maria
AU - Meinwald, Jerrold
AU - Eisner, Thomas
PY - 1997/6/24
Y1 - 1997/6/24
N2 - The carabid beetle Galerita lecontei has a pair of abdominal defensive glands that secrete a mixture of formic acid, acetic acid, and lipophilic components (lung-chain hydrocarbons and esters). Formic acid, at the concentration of 80%, is the principal constituent. The beetle ejects the secretion as a spray, which it aims accurately toward parts of the body subjected to assault. At full capacity, the glands store 4.5 mg of formic acid (3% of body mass), enough for upward of six ejections. The beetle reloads the glands at a rate of 126 μg of formic acid per day. For the approximately 500 secretory cells of the glands, this means an hourly output of 10 ng of formic acid per cell, or about 5% of cell volume. Replenishing empty glands to their full formic acid load takes the beetle an estimated 37 days. Replenishing the 0.7 mg of formic acid expended in a single discharge takes 5.5 days.
AB - The carabid beetle Galerita lecontei has a pair of abdominal defensive glands that secrete a mixture of formic acid, acetic acid, and lipophilic components (lung-chain hydrocarbons and esters). Formic acid, at the concentration of 80%, is the principal constituent. The beetle ejects the secretion as a spray, which it aims accurately toward parts of the body subjected to assault. At full capacity, the glands store 4.5 mg of formic acid (3% of body mass), enough for upward of six ejections. The beetle reloads the glands at a rate of 126 μg of formic acid per day. For the approximately 500 secretory cells of the glands, this means an hourly output of 10 ng of formic acid per cell, or about 5% of cell volume. Replenishing empty glands to their full formic acid load takes the beetle an estimated 37 days. Replenishing the 0.7 mg of formic acid expended in a single discharge takes 5.5 days.
KW - Carabidae
KW - Chemical defense
KW - Predation
KW - Secretory rate
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U2 - 10.1073/pnas.94.13.6792
DO - 10.1073/pnas.94.13.6792
M3 - Article
C2 - 9192644
AN - SCOPUS:0030927832
SN - 0027-8424
VL - 94
SP - 6792
EP - 6797
JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
IS - 13
ER -