Wolbachia-Free Heteropterans Do Not Produce Defensive Chemicals or Alarm Pheromones.

The true bugs, or heteropterans, are known for their widespread production of anti-predator chemicals and alarm pheromones in scent glands, a derived trait that constitutes one of the defining characters of the suborder Heteroptera and a potential novel trait that contributed to their diversification. We investigated whether symbiotic bacteria could be involved in the formation of these chemicals using Thasus neocalifornicus, a coreid bug that produces semiochemicals frequently found in other bugs. Using DNA phylogenetic methodology and experiments using antibiotics coupled with molecular techniques, we identified Wolbachia as the microorganism infecting the scent glands of this bug.

Alyssum homolocarpum seeds: phytochemical analysis and effects of the seed oil on neural stem cell proliferation and differentiation.

Pharmacognostic evaluation of medicinal plants may assess their current applications and possibly results in finding new active components. In this study, ash and extractive values and high performance thin layer chromatography fingerprints of Alyssum homolocarpum (Brassicaceae) seed extracts were investigated to elucidate its composition. Differential scanning calorimetry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis were employed to determine the components of A.

Synergy versus potency in the defensive secretions from nymphs of two pentatomomorphan families (Hemiptera: Coreidae and Pentatomidae).

One characteristic of true bugs (Heteroptera) is the presence of dorsal abdominal glands in the immature nymphal stages. These glands usually produce defensive chemicals (allomones) that vary among taxa but are still similar in closely related groups. Knowledge of the chemistry and prevalence of allomones in different taxa may clarify the evolution of these chemical defensive strategies.