The Defensive Secretion of Aspavia brunna (Schout) (Hetetoptera: Pentatomidae)
Abstract The pungent odours emitted by true bugs when disturbed have captured the attention of numerous students of the Heteroptera. Studies of the chemical composition of the secretion of these stink bugs have shown the presence of alkanes, alkenyl acetates, alcohols and unsaturated aldehydes [1-3]. Most of these chemicals are employed as chemical warfare against the onslaught of microbial, vertebrate and in-vertebrate attackers [4], We herein report the chemical investigation of a previously unstudied secretion of a pentatomid bug, Aspavia brunna. The combined gas chromatography -mass spectrometry provides an excellent method for the study of the secretions of insects. We have utilized this technique and our results are summarized below.