Content and composition of phosphoglycerols and neutral lipids at different developmental stages of the eggs of the codling moth, Cydia pomonella (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)

Abstract

Phosphoglycerol, triacylglycerol, diacylglycerol, and free fatty acid content was studied in eggs of the codling moth Cydia pomonella at the white, red ring, and black head developmental stages. The composition of total phosphoglycerols and of the three classes of neutral lipids was also analyzed. The highest total lipid content was found in eggs at the white stage, the amount decreasing during development mainly as a result of a diminution in the quantity of phosphoglycerols, which account for approximately 50% of total content at all stages of egg development. The amount of triacylglycerols and free fatty acids changes significantly during development, whereas only minor changes were found in diacyglycerol levels. The total phosphoglycerol acyl composition of eggs at the white and red ring stages is similar, whereas differences are evident at the black head stage of development. Triacylglycerols and free fatty acids are enriched in saturated fatty acids in all analyzed stages. The acyl profile of diacylglycerols is different at each stage. The unsaturation index decreases in diacylglycerols and free fatty acids as a function of egg development. The results of the present paper suggest that triacylglycerols may constitute an important source of energy during the final period of egg development while phosphoglycerols may function as fuel during the beginning. Phosphoglycerols could be precursors for the triacylglycerol biosynthesis that takes place between white and red ring stages.

Making eggs from nectar: the role of life history and dietary carbon turnover in butterfly reproductive resource allocation

“…These amino acids have been shown to derive exclusively from the larval diet in Amphion floridensis (O'Brien et al 2002). Essential fatty acids (and the fatty acids that derive from them) also occur in lepidopteran eggs, estimated for one species as 33% of all egg fatty acids (Forte et al 2002). Thus, requirements for essential nutrients not abundant in nectar diets limit the extent to which a species can use adult dietary nutrients in egg manufacture.…”

First record of a possible predatory collembolan species, Dicyrtoma fusca (Collembola: Dicyrtomidae), in New Zealand

“…Eggs of the codling moth ( Cydia pomonella ) are reported as comprising a mixture of phospholips and free fatty acids, the composition of which changes during development (Forte et al ). The chorion or outer coating in the silk moth ( Bombyx mori L., 1758) is proteinaceous, comprising mainly the amino acids such as glycine (nearly 40%), alanine, valine, leucine and tyrosine (Hamodrakas et al ).…”

Within and between species scaling in the weight, water, carbon and nitrogen contents of eggs and neonate larvae of twelve satyrine butterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)

“…95% of the egg dry mass in Lepidoptera (Fehrenbach, 2003). A high C content may well represent high investment in energy-storage lipo-proteins in insect eggs (Cunningham et al, 2001;Forte et al, 2002), but since the larval exoskeleton is rich in chitin (a polysaccharide) the shift in C : N ratio between eggs and larvae may only indicate structural differences.…”

“…This fact is illustrated by the widespread use of C : N ratios to broadly denote the amount of energy reserves relative to protein content in insect and other invertebrate eggs (e.g. Forte et al, 2002;O'Brien et al, 2004). Simple proportions like the C : N ratio may be expressed C/N = a, hence C = a(N).…”