| Title: | Synomones in necrophagous larvae of the blow flies Lucilia sericata and Calliphora vomitoria |
| Author(s): | Fouche Q; Charabidze D; Lucas C; |
| Address: | "CHU Lille, EA 7367 - UTML - Unite de Taphonomie Medico-Legale, University of Lille, Lille, France. UMR 8025, Centre d'Histoire Judiciaire, University of Lille, Lille, France. Unit of Social Ecology (USE), Universite Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Bruxelles, Belgium. Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte (UMR 7261), CNRS - University of Tours, Tours, France" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1365-2915 (Electronic) 0269-283X (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Chemical signals are widespread in insects, but those resulting in interspecific communication (i.e., synomones) remain understudied. Here, we analysed chemicals left on substrates by two species of blow fly larvae, Lucilia sericata (Meigen) and Calliphora vomitoria (Linneaus) (Diptera: Calliphoridae), which can aggregate together on carrion. Using solid-phase microextraction and dynamic headspace analysis, we identified six compounds common to both species: the decanoic, tetradecanoic, pentadecanoic, hexadecanoic and octadecanoic acids, and the 2-ethylhexyl salicylate. We then tested the behavioural effects of the decanoic and pentadecanoic acids using binary-choice experiments, along with the (Z)-9-tricosene, a pheromone found in many arthropods. The time spent by a larva and its average crawling speed were measured in two sides of an arena, where only one contained a compound at 0.25 or 25 mug/mul. No effect was observed when testing the decanoic acid. The pentadecanoic acid only reduced the speed of C. vomitoria larvae at 25 mug/mul. Finally, L. sericata larvae spent less time in the side containing the (Z)-9-tricosene at 0.25 mug/mul, whereas C. vomitoria spent more time and crawled faster in this side at 25 mug/mul. Although these results did not directly evidence synomones, they suggest that the (Z)-9-tricosene could regulate larval aggregations on carrion" |
| Keywords: | Animals Larva/physiology *Calliphoridae *Diptera/physiology Feeding Behavior (Z)-9-tricosene Calliphoridae aggregation chemical communication decanoic acid dynamic headspace analysis mixed-species groups pentadecanoic acid solid-phase microextraction syno; |
| Notes: | "MedlineFouche, Quentin Charabidze, Damien Lucas, Christophe eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2022/10/06 Med Vet Entomol. 2023 Mar; 37(1):170-175. doi: 10.1111/mve.12614. Epub 2022 Oct 5" |
