Defensive secretion ofTenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

• DOI: 10.1007/bf00994202
• Publication Date: 2005-01-09T12:08:07Z
• Authors: A. B. Attygalle; C. L. Blankespoor; J. Meinwald; T. Eisner

The defensive secretion ofTenebrio molitor contains a mixture of 2-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone andm-cresol. The phenol had not previously been detected in the secretion, although some investigators reported presence of 2-ethyl-1,4-benzoquinone as a second component. We failed to detect the latter quinone in secretion samples from three laboratory populations ofT. molitor.