Cuticular hydrocarbons of an ectoparasitic wasp attacking two beetle hosts have been identified and partially examined for the influence of age, gender, and mating status on hydrocarbon composition. The wasp hydrocarbons consist of n-alkanes, 3-, 5-, 9-, 10-, 11- and 12-methyl alkanes, Z-7- and Z-9-monoenes and one diene. The hydrocarbons of one host, the coffee berry borer have been previously reported. The hydrocarbons of an alternative weevil host consist of n-alkanes, 3-, 4-, 5-, 7-, 9-, 11-, 13- and 15-methyl alkanes, and several dimethyl alkanes of different series. No unsaturated hydrocarbons were present. A small number of marginally significant differences were found for the wasp as a function of age, mating status and gender. Similar small differences were found for the beetles. Hydrocarbon patterns of four species of Cephalonomia and their hosts are compared and shown to be species specific.
Species 1: Hymenoptera Bethylidae Cephalonomia hyalinipennis
Species 2: Coleoptera Curculionidae Caulophilis oryzae
Species 3: Coleoptera Scolytidae hypothenemus hampei (coffee berry borer)
Keywords: chemical ecology, mass spectrometry
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