CUTICULAR HYDROCARBON ANALYSIS OF THE AQUATIC BEETLEAGABUS ANTHRACINUSMANNERHEIM (COLEOPTERA: DYTISCIDAE)

Abstract

AbstractRelatively little information concerning the cuticular hydrocarbon composition of aquatic insects is known. The cuticular hydrocarbons of the aquatic beetleAgabus anthracinusMannerheim have been identified with the aid of a gas chromatograph coupled to a mass spectrometer. The cuticular hydrocarbon profile comprisesn-alkanes (46.8%),n-alkenes (27.1%), and methylalkanes (25.9%) and is basically similar to that of terrestrial Coleoptera. However, the hydrocarbons ofA. anthracinusdiffer in that (i) the shorter chainn-alkanes are present in higher proportion, (ii) there is a relatively lower abundance of methylalkanes, and (iii) the proportion ofn-alkenes is significantly higher.