USE OF CUTICULAR LIPIDS IN GRASSHOPPER TAXONOMY - A STUDY OF VARIATION IN SCHISTOCERCA SHOSHONE (THOMAS)

Cuticular lipids of adult Schistocerca shoshone from six different loc alities in the southwestern United states were analyzed. All the insec ts had the same hydrocarbons, but their relative abundance varied betw een populations and, within a locality, remained more or less constant over time. There were some statistically significant differences in t he abundance of some compounds in relation to sex and maturity, but th e differences were generally small and of doubtful biological signific ance. Food type had only minor effects on the relative frequencies of compounds, and insects from different populations retained their ident ities even when reared together in the laboratory. The cuticular lipid s of insects from a population living in an area with high summer temp eratures included higher proportions of n-alkanes than those of insect s from a less extreme environment. If cuticular hydrocarbons are to be used in taxonomic studies of grasshoppers, it is important to examine specimens from a variety of populations and habitats.