Cuticular hydrocarbons of tsetse flies II:Glossina fuscipes fuscipes, G. palpalis palpalis, G. p. gambiensis, G. tachinoides, andG. brevipalpis

Abstract

The alkanes (methylalkanes) were analyzed from both sexes of four members of thepalpalis group of tsetse flies,Glossina fuscipes fuscipes, G. palpalis gambiensis, G. palpalis palpalis, G. tachinoides plus onefusca group member, G. brevipalpis, to determine structures, abundances, and the presence of unique or specific methylalkanes. These insects are unique in that trimethylalkanes were major components except in femaleG. tachinoides and both sexes ofG. brevipalpis where 2-methylalkanes were the major components. The identification of novel long-chain tetramethylalkanes, including 11,15,19,23-tetramethylpentatriacontane, a minor component of femaleG. f. fuscipes, G. p. gambiensis, andG. p. palpalis, is reported here. Tetramethylalkanes were significant components of both sexes ofG. brevipalpis. The major tetramethylalkane in G.brevipalpis is 3,7,11,15-tetramethylhen-triacontane. The use of the methylalkanes as taxonomic indicators in tsetse is discussed.

Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis of the cuticular hydrocarbons from parasitic wasps of the genus Muscidifurax

“…The mass spectral scan range extended from m/z 50 to m/z 700 with a scan rate of 1.8 s per scan. Interpretation of the mass spectra followed previously established conventions [11][12][13][25][26][27]. These references describe the interpretation process and location of methyl branched positions for natural hydrocarbons, synthesized de novo, for which there are no synthetic equivalents.…”

“…Reports in the literature of internally branched 11-methylene interrupted CHCs such as 11,23-Me 2 C 35 are common [12,13], but there are few reports of 3,15-dimethylalkanes, usually as a minor isomer within a peak containing other 3,X-isomers [14, 18, 29 -32]. Muscidifurax spp.…”

“…These represent tetramethylalkanes on carbon backbone chains of C 29 to C 37 . Only two other insects have been reported to contain 3,7,11,15-tetramethylalkanes; these are the tsetse fly Glossina brevipalpis [13] and the pine engraver beetle lps paraconfusus [14].…”

“…Additionally, CHCs have been used to differentiate species of beetles [14], mosquitoes [15], cockroaches [16], grasshoppers [17,18], termites [19,20], bees [21,22], fruit flies [23], tsetse flies [11][12][13]24], and others. The identification of CHCs by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) allows the differentiation of four species of Muscidifurax by examining not only the gas chromatograms but also the mass spectra which clearly contain different compounds that demonstrate the sexual dimorphism in this species.…”

Syntheses of Racemic and Diastereomeric Mixtures of 3,7,11,15- Tetramethylhentriacontane and 4,8,12,16-Tetramethyldotriacontane, the Cuticular Tetramethylalkanes of the Tsetse Fly,…

“…6) 3,7,11,15-Tetramethylhentriacontane (1) and 4,8,12,16-tetramethyldotriacontane (2) are present in both male and female G. brevipalpis, 6) although their biological role is not yet clear. In order to clarify this, su‹cient amounts of 1 and 2 are required for subsequent biotesting.…”