Abstract
Aulacoscelinae beetles have an ancient relationship with cycads (Cycadophyta: Zamiaceae), which contain highly toxic azoxyglycoside (AZG) compounds. How these “primitive” leaf beetles deal with such host-derived compounds remains largely unknown. Collections were made of adult Aulacoscelis appendiculata from Zamia cf. elegantissima in Panama, A. vogti from Dioon edule in Mexico, and Janbechynea paradoxa from Zamia boliviana in Bolivia. Total AZG levels were quantified in both cycad leaves and adult beetles by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). On average, cycad leaves contained between 0.5–0.8% AZG (frozen weight, FW), while adult beetles feeding on the same leaves contained even higher levels of the compounds (average 0.9–1.5% FW). High AZG levels were isolated from reflex bleeding secreted at the leg joints when beetles were disturbed. Nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectroscopy identified two AZGs, cycasin and macrozamin, in the reflex bleeding; this is the first account of potentially plant-derived compounds in secretions of the Aulacoscelinae. These data as well as the basal phylogenetic position of the Aulacoscelinae suggest that sequestration of plant secondary metabolites appeared early in leaf beetle evolution.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the following people for assistance; Laura Yañez (Universidad Autónoma de San Luís Potosí) and Alberto S. Taylor (Universidad de Panamá) for advice and field information, Alejandro Beqarano (Natural History Museum Noel Kempf Mercado) and Tony Bonasso (Reserva Privada Patrimonio Natural - Potrerillos del Guenda), Santa Cruz, Bolivia; Titto Varughese, Humberto Ortega, and Johannys Lakey (Universidad de Panamá) for assistance during AZG isolation, HPLC, and NMR analysis and Alexandra Furtos-Matel (Universitè de Montréal) for MS analysis. As well, we thank two anonymous reviewers and Guillaume Dury for insightful comments to an earlier version of the manuscript. This research was funded by McGill’s Neotropical Environmental Option program, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, the Mexican government through CONACYT, and an NSERC operating grant to J.C.B. Leaf and beetle collections in Panama were performed under Panama’s Ministry of the Environment (ANAM) permit numbers SE/AP-4-09, SE/AP-7-10).
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Prado, A., Ledezma, J., Cubilla-Rios, L. et al. Two Genera of Aulacoscelinae Beetles Reflexively Bleed Azoxyglycosides Found in Their Host Cycads. J Chem Ecol 37, 736–740 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-011-9977-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-011-9977-5