Phagostimulatory effects of lipids and related substances on the prairie grain wireworm, Ctenicera destructor Brown

Abstract

Larvae of Ctenicera destructor Brown bit spots treated with C18 unsaturated fatty acids more often than those treated with other lipids or related substances. They also bit spots treated with 5% solutions of these substances more often than those treated with 1% solutions. The relatively high response recorded for triolein-treated spots may have reflected a metabolic requirement for oleic acid. When spots were treated with mixtures of fatty acids, the larvae bit most frequently those treated with palmitic, oleic, and linoleic acids. These observations support the hypothesis that a phagostimulatory response by insects is not dependent upon the presence of any single substance.