Fatty acid composition of odonate's eyes
N N Sushchik1,2, O N Popova3, O N Makhutova4,5
1Institute of Biophysics, Krasnoyarsk Research Center, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Krasnoyarsk, 660036, Russia.
Abstract:
We have studied the fatty acid composition of eyes of amphibiotic insects, namely, the odonate Sympetrum flaveolum. The main polyunsaturated fatty acid of odonate's eyes has been found to be 20:5n-3 (eicosapentaenoic fatty acid, EPA) rather than 18:2n-6 and 18:3n-3, which usually dominate in eyes of terrestrial insects, or 22:6n-3, which dominates in eyes of vertebrates. The prevalence of EPA in odonate's eyes probably provides a more effective transmission of light signal in this animal compared to terrestrial insects. It is important for odonates because vision plays a decisive role in finding and catching prey.
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