Cuticular lipids of insects—X. Normal and branched alkanes from the surface of the grasshopper Schistocerca americana

Abstract

1. 1. Normal alkanes and methyl branched alkanes make up over 80% of the cuticular lipid extract of third instar case skin, fifth instar cast skin and adult cuticular lipids of Schistocerca americana. 2. 2. Methyl branched alkanes comprise over 70% of the hydrocarbons and are internally branched monomethyl-, dimethyl- and trimethylalkanes. 3. 3. There are qualitative and quantitative differences in the hydrocarbons of S. americana, S. vaga and S. gregaria but there are also a number of similarities that are discussed.