Protein profiles of Gonipterus scutellatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) larvae fed on leaves from three Eucalyptus species

• Published in: New Zealand journal of crop and horticultural science Vol. 35; no. 3; pp. 357 - 363
• Main Authors: Huerta, Amanda, Chiffelle, Italo, Serrano, Maryi, Vásquez, Tatiana, Araya, Jaime E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 01-09-2007
• Subjects: Coleoptera; Curculionidae; Eucalyptus; Eucalyptus camaldulensis; Eucalyptus globulus; Eucalyptus robusta; eucalyptus weevil; foliar damage; marker protein
• ISSN: 0114-0671; 1175-8783
• DOI: 10.1080/01140670709510202

Gonipterus scutellatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is a pest of eucalyptus in Chile. Susceptibility of Eucalyptus camaldulensis, E. globulus ssp. globulus, and E. robusta to larval feeding were studied by determining foliar area loss. The effect of feeding on larval protein profiles was analysed by electrophoresis. E. camaldulensis was more susceptible (11.21% foliar area consumed) than E. globulus (6.47%) and E. robusta (3.62%). Nineteen proteins were common in larvae fed the three kinds of food, whereas 11 exhibited variations (marker proteins). As all larvae came from E. globulus providing the same nutrition, relatively few (20) proteins were detected in them. More proteins (30) were found in larvae feeding on E. robusta. The greatest number of marker proteins occurred in E. robusta (11), followed by E. camaldulensis (9), and E. globulus (1). Thus, larvae fed on three eucalyptus species had three different protein profiles.