Abstract

AbstractTobacco hornworm larvae, Manduca sexta (L.) (Sphingidae), were administered L‐canaline either by parenteral injection or by dietary consumption. The overt toxicity and the alteration of hemolymph amino acids caused by these nonprotein amino acids were evaluated. The LD50 value for parenterally administered canavanine and canaline is 1.0 and 2.5 mg/g fresh body weight, respectively. A dietary concentration of 5.2 mM for canavanine and over 20 mM for canaline represent the respective LC50 values. A large percentage of the larvae reared on diets supplemented with additional arginine, ornithine, or 2,4‐diaminobutyric acid in addition to canavanine or canaline were unable to complete larval‐pupal ecdysis. These toxic effects were associated with a decreased glutamic acid hemolymph titer and dramatically elevated ornithine. On the other hand, larvae administered canavanine or canaline alone, either by dietary consumption or parenteral injection, experienced less drastic developmental aberrations. These symptoms were in some cases correlated with increased ornithine and glutamic acid titers. Evidence is presented that even a canavanine‐ and canaline‐sensitive insect such as M. sexta has a marked ability to eliminate these protective allelochemicals.

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