Oecophylla smaragdina (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and Odontotermes sp. (Isoptera: Termitidae) a potential source of antioxidant: the two most preferred edible insects of Arunachal Pradesh, India

Antioxidant potential of weaver ant Oecophylla smaragdina (adult & brood) and termite Odontotermes sp the two common species of insects used as food by tribes of Arunachal Pradesh and elsewhere in India. Our findings highlight the antioxidant potential of these two insects. DPPH• scavenging activity IC50 (µg/mL) ranged from 59.56 (weaver ant adult) to 66.30 (termite). Termite species scored higher ABTS•+ scavenging activity (IC50: µg/mL), Ferric reducing power (TPEE µg/g) and phenolics (mg GAE/g) (18.70, 36.60 and 626.92) than weaver ant adult (52.57, 211.21 and 369.69) and weaver ant brood (33.34, 114.32 and 486.04). On the other hand, weaver ant adult scored higher flavonoids (mg RTE/g) (663.43) than its brood (387.19) and termite species (58.04). Weaver ant brood contained substantial amounts of phenolics and flavonoids, comparatively higher than phenolics of weaver ant adult and flavonoids of termite. These two insects may serve as an ideal dietary food supplement for handling oxidative stress and as a replacement for some conventional food products. However, further study is needed to find out the bioactive compound at the individual species level.

Oecophylla Smaragdina (Hymenoptera: Formacidae) and Odontotermes sp. (Isoptera: Termitidae) a Potential Source of Antioxodant: The Two Most Preferred Edible Insects of Arunachal Pradesh, India

Antioxidant potential of weaver ant Oecophylla smaragdina (adult & brood) and termite odontotermes sp, the two common species of insects used as food by tribes of Arunachal Pradesh and elsewhere in India. Our findings highlight the antioxidant potential of these two insects. DPPH scavenging activity IC50 (µg/ml) ranged from 59.559 (ant adult) to 66.30 (termite). Termite species scored higher ABTS scavenging activity (IC50: µg/ml), Ferric reducing power (TPEE µg/g) and phenols (mg GAE/g) (18.70, 36.60 and 626.92) than weaver ant adult (52.57, 211.21 and 369.69) and ant brood (33.34, 114.32, 486.04). On the other hand, ant adult scored higher flavonoid (mg RTE/g) (663.4) than its brood (387.2) and termite species (58.0). Ant brood contained substantial amounts of phenols and flavonoid, comparatively higher than phenols of ant adult and flavonoid of termite. These two insects may serve as an ideal dietary food supplement for handling oxidative stress and as replacement for some conventional food products. However, further study is needed to find out the bio-active compound at individual species level.

Re-Analysis of Abdominal Gland Volatilome Secretions of the African Weaver Ant, Oecophylla longinoda (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

The African weaver ant, Oecophylla longinoda, is used as a biological control agent for the management of pests. The ant has several exocrine glands in the abdomen, including Dufour’s, poison, rectal, and sternal glands, which are associated with pheromone secretions for intra-specific communication. Previous studies have analyzed the gland secretions of Dufour’s and poison glands. The chemistry of the rectal and sternal glands is unknown. We re-analyzed the secretions from Dufour’s and poison glands plus the rectal and sternal glands to compare their chemistries and identify additional components. We used the solid-phase microextraction (SPME) technique to collect gland headspace volatiles and solvent extraction for the secretions. Coupled gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis detected a total of 78 components, of which 62 were being reported for the first time. These additional components included 32 hydrocarbons, 12 carboxylic acids, 5 aldehydes, 3 alcohols, 2 ketones, 4 terpenes, 3 sterols, and 1 benzenoid. The chemistry of Dufour’s and poison glands showed a strong overlap and was distinct from that of the rectal and sternal glands. The different gland mixtures may contribute to the different physiological and behavioral functions in this ant species.

Detection of Heterozygosity and Allelic Frequency of Indian and Southeast Asian Types of Oecophylla smaragdina (Fabricius) (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in Bangladesh using Microsatellite Markers

Background: The two types of Asian weaver ant species, Oecophylla smaragdina, Indian types and Southeast (SE) Asian types can co-occur in the same habitat. Previous study on mtDNA based phylogenesis of O. smaragdina in Bangladesh has revealed the presence of the mixture of both Indian and SE Asian type of O. smaragdina. However, the nuclear DNA based study showed some inconsistency leading the chance of hybridization as colonies encountered from two localities contained O. smaragdina workers from more than one type as identified via longwave length rhodopsin (LWRh) and mitochondrial COI and Cytb gene analysis. The purpose of present study was to detect hybridization status and to find out the identical allele for Indian and SE Asian type of O. smaragdina from different colonies. Method: A total of seven O. smaragdina colonies had been collected from Bangladesh during 2013 to December 2016. Microsatellite analysis were performed for Gene mapping and heterozygosity study with 11 microsatellite loci through electropherogrum study generated by peak scanner software.Result: Among 11 microsatellite loci, two loci, MS 8.24 and MS 6.45 provided the identical allele position for Indian and SE Asian types while no allelic position were identified with nine microsatellite loci. The results inferred that weaver ant of both Indian and SE Asian type engage in bidirectional interspecific gene flow. The strong possibility of hybridization between these two types is inferred, which indicates that barriers to hybridization do not exist or can be completely overcome. This is unexpected, given that they are non-sister species and broadly sympatric in nature. These findings also indicate the possible occurrence of hybrid-hybrid crosses in some localities of weaver ant, a phenomenon rarely observed in ants.