Abstract
Fatty acids of the neutral lipid (NL), and phospholipid (PL) fractions of the southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmermann, were examined at 6 developmental stages: egg, inner-bark larval, outer-bark larval, pupal, emerging adult, and attacking adult. In all life stages, the predominant fatty acid of the NL fraction was oleic (29-51%). Palmitic acid was the 2nd most common (16-24%), except in the eggs and attacking females, where linoleic was slightly higher (28 and 24%). Oleic was also highest in the PL fraction of the larval, pupal, and emerging adult stages (27-38%). Linoleic was 2nd in concentration in these stages (14- 19%). In the attacking beetles, linoleic was highest (25%), followed by oleic (19%) ; and in the eggs, shortchain compounds (less than C16:0) accounted for over 1/2 the fatty acids.