Abstract
Mixtures of saturated and unsaturated 1-methoxyalkanes (alkyl methyl ethers, representing more than 45.4% of the millipede hexane extracts) were newly identified from the Thai polydesmid millipede, Orthomorpha communis, in addition to well-known polydesmid defense allomones (benzaldehyde, benzoyl cyanide, benzoic acid, mandelonitrile, and mandelonitrile benzoate) and phenolics (phenol, o- and p-cresol, 2-methoxyphenol, 2-methoxy-5-methylphenol and 3-methoxy-4-methylphenol). The major compound was 1-methoxy-n-hexadecane (32.9%), and the mixture might function as “raincoat compounds” for the species to keep off water penetration and also to prevent desiccation.
Highlights
Certain arthropods are well known to produce exocrine secretions which serve a variety of functions such as defense against predators[1], antimicrobial and antifungal activities[2], protection against moisture[3], and intraspecific information pheromones[4,5,6]
Using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis of the species, we happened to detect a series of saturated and unsaturated wax-like components, other than the conventional mixtures derived from mandelonitrile
These wax-like components have not been reported in other millipedes, and our hypothesis is that they have a function similar to the “raincoat” found in the oribatid mite, Liacarus subterraneus (Acari: Oribatida)
Summary
Certain arthropods are well known to produce exocrine secretions which serve a variety of functions such as defense against predators[1], antimicrobial and antifungal activities[2], protection against moisture[3], and intraspecific information pheromones[4,5,6]. Polydesmida contains non-cyanogenic species, Eutrichodesmus elegans and E. armatus, whose defensive allomones have been identified as (Z)- and (E)2-nitroethenylbenzene and 2-nitroethylbenzene[15,16] Those nitro compounds are known to be derived from L-phenylalanine, the same precursor of mandelonitrile[15]. Using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis of the species, we happened to detect a series of saturated and unsaturated wax-like components, other than the conventional mixtures derived from mandelonitrile These wax-like components have not been reported in other millipedes, and our hypothesis is that they have a function similar to the “raincoat” found in the oribatid mite, Liacarus subterraneus (Acari: Oribatida). The chemical structures of these saturated and unsaturated wax-like components was investigated
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