Benzoquinones from millipedes deter mosquitoes and elicit self-anointing in capuchin monkeys (Cebus spp.) |
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Authors: | Weldon Paul J. Aldrich Jeffrey R. Klun Jerome A. Oliver James E. Debboun Mustapha |
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Affiliation: | (1) Conservation and Research Center, Smithsonian Institution, 1500 Remount Road, Front Royal, VA, 22630, USA;(2) Chemicals Affecting Insect Behavior Laboratory, USDA-ARS, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA;(3) Department of Entomology, Division of Communicable Diseases and Immunology, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Washington, DC, 20307-5100, USA; |
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Abstract: | Neotropical monkeys of the genus Cebus anoint themselves by rubbing arthropods and plants against their pelage. A recent study has shown that free-ranging wedge-capped capuchin monkeys ( C. olivaceus) in Venezuela self-anoint with a benzoquinone-secreting millipede, an activity by which they are hypothesized to appropriate chemical deterrents of mosquitoes. To evaluate the plausibility of this hypothesis, female yellow fever mosquitoes ( Aedes aegypti) were presented with two millipede secretory compounds, 2-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone and 2-methoxy-3-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone, on nylon-reinforced silicone membranes placed over wells filled with human blood, a highly preferred food. Mosquitoes exhibited fewer landings, fed less frequently, and flew more frequently (a possible indication of repellency) in the presence of membranes treated with benzoquinones than with controls. These compounds also elicit self-anointing in captive male and female tufted ( C. apella) and white-faced ( C. capucinus) capuchin monkeys. |
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