title: Cuticular Hydrocarbons of Orchid Bees Males: Interspecific and Chemotaxonomy Variation.
abstract: Recent studies have investigated the composition of compounds that cover the cuticle in social insects, but few studies have focused on solitary bees. Cuticular hydrocarbons may provide a tool for chemotaxonomy, and perhaps they can be used as a complement to morphology and genetic characters in phylogenetic studies. Orchid bees (Tribe Euglossini) are a highly diverse group of Neotropical bees with more than 200 species. Here, the cuticular hydrocarbons of 17 species were identified and statistical analysis revealed 108 compounds, which allowed for the taxonomic classification according to the genera. The most significant compounds discriminating the four genera were (Z)-9-pentacosene, (Z,Z)-pentatriacontene-3, (Z)-9-tricosene, and (Z)-9-heptacosene. The analyses demonstrated the potential use of CHCs to identify different species.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Comportamento e Ecologia de Insetos Sociais. Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP), Universidade de São Paulo. Av. Bandeirantes, 3900. CEP 14040-901. Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Aline Borba
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Dos Santos
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Comportamento e Ecologia de Insetos Sociais. Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP), Universidade de São Paulo. Av. Bandeirantes, 3900. CEP 14040-901. Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fábio Santos
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: do Nascimento
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001516:Bees / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification*; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000737:chemistry*; D008297:Male; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D006838:Hydrocarbons