Chemical nature of larval osmeterial secretions of papilionid butterflies in the generaParnassius, Sericinus andPachliopta

Volatile components of the larval osmeterial secretion ofParnassius glacialis (Parnassiinae, Parnassiini) consisted of isobutyric acid, 2-methylbutyric acid, and their methyl esters. In contrast, the osmeterial exudate ofSericinus montela (Parnassiinae, Zerynthiini) was characterized as monoterpene hydrocarbons comprisingβ-myrcene (Major),α-pinene, sabinene, limonene, andβ-phellandrene, whereas that ofPachliopta aristolochiae (Papilioninae, Troidini) was composed of numerous sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, includingα-himachalene,α-amorphene, and germacrene-A, and a few oxygenated sesquiterpenoids. In these three species, the chemical nature of the secretions of the last and the penultimate instars was essentially of similar quality, suggesting that the three genera,Parnassius, Sericinus, andPachliopta, are assigned to homogeneous types.