The Scent Glands of Heteroptera

Exocrine Secretions of Wheel Bugs (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Arilus spp.): Clarification and Chemistry

“…Actually, the rancid odor is due to simultaneous emission of Brindley's gland secretion, which in the North (A. cristatus) and South (A. carinatus) American wheel bugs studied are similar blends of 2-methylpropanoic, butanoic, 3-methylbutanoic, and 2-methylbutanoic acids. Brindley's glands are thought to be defensive (Staddon, 1979). Releasing Brindley's gland acids may be repulsive to predators, as well as serve to advertise the danger of attacking insects with such a fi erce bite (Smith et al, 1958).…”

“…1b) (Weirauch, 2006a) and that the pungent odor sometimes detected when A. carinatus females are captured comes from Brindley's glands not from the SGs. [The metathoracic scent glands characteristic of most Heteroptera (Aldrich, 1988), are absent in Harpactorinae (Weirauch, 2006b), whereas Brindley's glands occur laterally below the fi rst abdominal tergite in harpactorines and most other reduviid subfamilies (Staddon, 1979).] Contrary to the fi ndings of Barth (1961), Mead (2008) reported that "…when captured, [A. cristatus (L.)] extrude (with little provocation) a pair of bright, orange-red scent sacs near the apex of the venter [that] give off a pungent scent."…”

Heritability of size, a sexually selected character, and the response to sexual selection in a natural population of the southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)

“…Natural selection could oppose larger size if this prolonged maturation time. However, increased development time is not likely to prolong exposure to vertebrate predators or parasitoids since nymphs and adults utilise the same chemical defences (Staddon, 1979) the efficacy of which is a function of insect size (McLain, 1980), and since the tachinid parasitoid is attracted only to mature males emitting sex pheromones (Harris and Todd, 1980). Thus, it is likely that sexual selection and natural selection favour large size in males.…”

Thoracic scent efferent system and exponium of Aphylidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomoidea), its architecture and function

“…The primary functions of the metathoracic scent gland secretion are repugnatorial and defensive; bactericid, fungicid or pheromonal functions are probably secondary. The external scent efferent system (see terminology in Material and Methods) serves for rapid ejection and evaporation of the repellent secretion and simultaneously for protection of the specimen against toxicity of its own secretion (for chemism see, e.g., Staddon, 1979Staddon, , 1986Aldrich, 1988). The external scent efferent system of the metathoracic scent glands in the adult Pentatomomorpha, particularly the Pentatomoidea, has been recently studied in detail by Kment & Vilímová (2010a, b).…”