FREE AMINO ACIDS IN THE HAEMOLYMPH OF RHODNIUS PROLIXUS STÅHL (HEMIPTERA: REDUVIIDAE)

Nineteen free amino acids and four ninhydrin-positive compounds were detected in the haemolymph of fifth-instar nymphs of Rhodnius prolixus by the technique of thin-layer chromatography. On the sixth day after feeding, tyrosine and tryptophan appeared in the haemolymph. Their concentration increased until the 12th day when testing stopped. The concentrations of alanine, asparagine, cystine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, and threonine fluctuated moderately from day to day. The results obtained by thin-layer chromatography differed from those of a similar study in which the technique of paper chromatography was used.