Cuticular hydrocarbons of grasshoppers from the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

Cuticular lipids of adult Schistocerca literosa, Schistocerca melanocera and Halmenus robustus were analyzed. They have a similar range of hydrocarbons to those previously reported for other grasshoppers, but contain significant amounts of squalene which has not previously been reported from grasshopper cuticle. In Halmenus, squalene comprises 17% of the total hydrocarbons, while internally branched methylalkanes are present in much smaller quantities than in other grasshoppers. The results lend no support for a close taxonomic link between Halmenus and Schistocerca.