A few years back, when I still was at high school at Bangladesh (Mymensingh division, plains), I noticed (in a suburban locality where my house is) a nocturnal elongated insect (5-6 mm long by 2-3 mm wide) that often roam in groups of 10-20 insects and be attracted by light. they have limited flight capacity and can climb in painted masonry indoor walls. they have two elongated nearly transparent wings at their dorsal side, and segmentation in their ventral side is clearly distinguishable, which seemed to be filled with some sort of liquid. I can not describe their dorsal appendages, but when i crushed some of them plainly out of curiosity, they smelled strongly near-exactly like jasmine (Jasminum sambac ) or coral jasmine (Nyctanthes arbor-tristis) flower!
Is there any description on similar insects that have their body vessel filled with fragrant liquid?
Can taxonomy of the arthropod can be estimated from the given data?
What is the probable role of these fragrant compound in arthropod? (e.g. defense mechanism, immunity, courtship). I know methyl jasmonate is a phytohormone for plant-to-plant communication, and also a little bit about musk deer and ambergris whale
Most probably the insect was a member of the Genus Chrysoperla, also known as lacewings. Or it could have been a member of the Genus Leptocorisa, although the smell of the latter is nowhere near Jasmine-like.
Maybe the insect ingested the phytohormone from the plant
I don't know any insect smells like Jasmine, but my be it had visited Jasmine flowers before that and gained the smile.
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