Haemolymph pigment composition as a chemometric indicator of phase in the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Date
2011-09-19
Authors
Hassanali, Ahmed
Mahamat, H.
Munyinyi, D.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Abstract
The blue biliverdin pigment in the haemolymph of Schistocerca gregaria Forskål (Orthoptera: Acrididae) was shown to be associated with all the stages and ages of the solitary-reared (solitarious) insects, irrespective of their origin or diet. The pigment was absent or present in very small quantities in the crowd-reared (gregarious) insects. The ratio of absorbance at 460 nm and 680 nm, the former representing the λmax for the carotenoid pigment and the latter for the biliverdin, provides a clear-cut index for partitioning the phases. The mean value of the index for the gregarious group fell in the range 3.69 to 4.78. That of the solitarious group ranged from 0.64 to 1.67. The absorbance ratio at 460/680 nm appears to represent a simple and convenient means of differentiating the two phases of the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria.
Description
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1742758400016374
Keywords
Schistocerca gregaria, desert locust, solitarious, gregarious, haemolymph pigments, biliverdin, carotenoid pigments, biliprotein, phase polymorphism
Citation
International Journal of Tropical Insect Science / Volume 17 / Issue 02 / June 1997, pp 199-204