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Sequestration of tropane alkaloids from Brugmansia suaveolens (Solanaceae) by the treehopper Alchisme grossa (Hemiptera: Membracidae)

2016; Elsevier BV; Volume: 66; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.bse.2016.03.015

1873-2925

Carlos F. Pinto, Silvia Salinas, Luis Flores‐Prado, Javier Echeverría, Hermann M. Niemeyer,

Plant Parasitism and Resistance

Treehoppers (Hemiptera: Membracidae) are sap-feeding insects distributed mainly in tropical regions. Alchisme grossa is a treehopper that has been reported in the Bolivian Yungas forests using mostly Brugmansia suaveolens (Solanaceae) as host-plant, where adult females oviposit and take care of their nymphs until they molt to adults. Brugmansia is a subtropical genus producing a variety of tropane alkaloids (TAs). We herein report the sequestration by adult males and females of A. grossa of TAs from B. suaveolens , examining separately the distinct body sections of insects. Purified extracts of A. grossa and B. suaveolens were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. TAs in A. grossa were the same as those in its host-plant; furthermore, they were equally distributed between sexes and they were differentially allocated within the body of adult individuals. An ecological role for sequestered TAs is discussed.