Cuticular hydrocarbons as a tool for the identification of insect species: puparial cases from Sarcophagidae.
The external surface of all insects is covered by a species-specific complex mixture of highly stable, very long chain cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs). Gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry was used to identify CHCs from four species of Sarcophagidae, Peckia (Peckia) chrysostoma, Peckia (Pattonella) intermutans, Sarcophaga (Liopygia) ruficornis and Sarcodexia lambens. The identified CHCs were mostly a mixture of n-alkanes, monomethylalkanes and dimethylalkanes with linear chain lengths varying from 23 to 33 carbons. Only two alkenes were found in all four species. S. lambens had a composition of CHCs with linear chain lengths varying from C23 to C33, while the other three species linear chain lengths from 24 to 31 carbons. n-Heptacosane, n-nonacosane and 3-methylnonacosane, n-triacontane and n-hentriacontane occurred in all four species. The results show that these hydrocarbon profiles may be used for the taxonomic differentiation of insect species and are a useful additional tool for taxonomic classification, especially when only parts of the insect specimen are available.
Laboratório de Transmissores de Leishmanioses, Setor de Entomologia Médica e Forense, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Av. Brasil 4365, Pav. Herman Lent, sala 14, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21040-360, Brazil. Electronic address: mvbraga@ioc.fiocruz.br.
Marina Vianna
MV
Braga
Zeneida Teixeira
ZT
Pinto
Margareth Maria
MM
de Carvalho Queiroz
Nana
N
Matsumoto
Gary James
GJ
Blomquist
D000818:Animals; D004772:Entomology / Q000379:methods*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D034582:Integumentary System; D058493:Sarcophagidae / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification*
D006838:Hydrocarbons
Cuticular hydrocarbons; Diptera; Forensic entomology; Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry; Insect identification; Sarcophagidae