Wax Particle Morphology And Ultrastructure Of Two Species Of Adult Insects: Prey And Predator

Abstract

Abstract Some insects cover themselves with waxy particles including all parts of their body except the eyes. Two examples of insects that produce waxy particles from specialized glands on their abdominal surfaces are the adult stages of the silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia argentifolii) and one of its predators, the dusty wing (Semidalis flinti). In both species, the production of the waxy particles begins at adult eclosion. The silverleaf whitefly, a major plant pest, produces ribbons of waxy material that extrude from the numerous microtrichia that cover the surface of abdominal wax plates. Silverleaf whitefly males have 4 pair of wax plates and females have 2 pair. The adults use their tibia to break off the extruding ribbons, forming semicircular waxy particles about 1 micrometer in diameter. The semicircular waxy particles are composed of a mixture of long-chain aldehydes and alcohols, 34 carbons in length. For the dustywing predator, the particles are formed by wax producing pores that cover most abdominal surfaces of the adults.