Desiccation intolerance of the red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (oliv) adults in relation to their cuticular hydrocarbons | ||||
| Egyptian Academic Journal of Biological Sciences. A, Entomology | ||||
| Article 6, Volume 2, Issue 1, June 2009, Page 47-53 PDF (806.75 K) | ||||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/eajbsa.2009.15452 | ||||
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| Authors | ||||
| Monzer M. A.; Hesham A. Srour | ||||
| Plant Protection Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Dokki, Giza, Egypt | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| The desiccation tolerance of red palm weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorus ferrugineus was investigated in the laboratory. Adults exposed to 35 or 75% relative humidity showed high rate of water loss. Water loss rate averaged 2.32 ± 0.35 and 6.71 ± 0.73 mg /g fresh body weight/hr at 35 or 75% RH, respectively, and cumulative loss increased with time. Adults exposed to 35% RH died within a maximum of 4 days. Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) were isolated and identified from adults to elucidate the physiological basis of their intolerance to desiccation. They were dominated by saturated n-alkanes (75%), while the ester compound 1-henicosyl formate, the fatty alcohol 3-(E) eicosanol and the alkene tricosene represented 25% of total surface CHCs. The desecration intolerance of weevils was attributed to the presence of relatively high proportion of 1-henicosyl formate (17.5%) which could form large pores within the waxy waterproofed CHCs layer of weevils | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| Desiccation; Red palm weevil; cuticular hydrocarbons | ||||
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