THE APPLICABILITY OF X-RAY ENERGY-DISPERSIVE SPECTROSCOPY TO THE IDENTIFICATION OF POPULATIONS OF RED TURNIP BEETLE, ENTOMOSCELIS AMERICANA (COLEOPTERA: CHRYSOMELIDAE)

The relative concentration of elements in adults of the red turnip beetle, Entomoscelis americana Brown, as determined by X-ray energy-dispersive spectroscopy (XES), was used with discriminant analysis to identify source populations of beetles from different fields in the same district. Classification of dispersed beetles from the same district, using discriminant functions, suggests that XES is a promising technique for dispersal studies. However, multivariate analysis of variance and canonical analysis of XES results of groups of beetles given different foods over varying times in the laboratory indicate that highly significant changes occur in the chemoprint. Methods of minimizing the effect of such changes are suggested for future studies of dispersal.