Are those pigments synthesised de novo, or are they sequestered from their host plants? I'm especially interested in the red pigments found in some caterpillars (e.g. Cossus)
It is very clear in nature, green hosts provide green colors to the insects if they feed them in diet, red means flower eating provide most of the contrasting colors, inducers, intermediates and derivatives of pentameric ring structure join them with some central metal element form this color.Yes, pigments synthesize them de novo by additions of rings, terminatlization of groups, addition of metal groups, and compplex groups which itter shining colors. Mostly insects which are parasitic in nature share good contrasting coloration.
Thank you very much for your answers. I have read about some pigments like carotenoids, that impart a red colour to several insects. The problem is, there are lots of insects that feed on sap, or some tissue where there aren't any carotenoids. For example, Cossus feed on xylem and/or phloem, where red pigments are completely absent, yet they exhibit a bright carmine colour...
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Geoscience
- Cartography
- Mapping
- Maps