Comparison of free fatty acids composition of cuticular lipids of Calliphora vicina larvae and pupae.

The chemical characterization of the free fatty acid (FFA) fractions of the cuticular lipids of Calliphora vicina larvae and pupae was performed by separating the FFA fraction using high-performance liquid chromatography with laser light scattering detection (HPLC-LLSD) and quantitatively analyzing the FFA using gas chromatography-electron impact mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Thirty-two saturated and unsaturated FFA were identified and quantified in the insect lipids. Cuticular FFA profiles of C. vicina larvae and pupae were compared. Cuticular FFA of larvae and pupae accounted for 70.8 and 77.8 % of the total lipids, respectively. The cuticular lipids of C. vicina larvae contained 24 FFA ranging from 8:0 to 24:0, whereas the cuticular lipids of pupae contained 32 FFA ranging from 6:0 to 26:0. The cuticular lipids of the larvae contained 16 saturated, five monounsaturated, one diunsaturated, and two polyunsaturated FFA. The cuticular lipids of the pupae contained 18 saturated, nine monounsaturated, two diunsaturated, and three polyunsaturated FFA. The major cuticular FFA in C. vicina larvae and pupae was 18:1 (47.6 and 41.7 %, respectively). The highest amounts of total cuticular FFA were detected in larvae of C. vicina (1.7 mg/g of the insect body). The quantities of total cuticular FFA in pupae were smaller (1.4 mg/g of the insect body).