Abstract
Remarkable differences were found between the chemical composition of the osmeterial secretions of 5th and the previous larval instars of a swallowtail, Papilio protenor demetrius Cr. The secretion of 5th instar larvae consisted principally of aliphatic acids and their esters: iso-butyric acid, 2-methylbutyric acid, methyl iso-butyrate, methyl 2-methylbutyrate, ethyl iso-butyrate and ethyl 2-methylbutyrate. The secretions of 4th and 3rd instar larvae, which were substantially the same in their chemical constitution, predominantly comprised mono- and sesquiterpenoids such as α-pinene, β-myrcene, limonene, β-phellandrene, (Z)-β-ocimene, (E)-β-ocimene, β-elemene, β-caryophyllene, germacrene-B and caryophylleneoxide. The relative content of sesquiterpenic components exceed 80%. Such chemical disparity appeared to be associated with the conspicous change of body colouration at the fourth larval ecdysis.
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