Calliphora vomitoria

The CHCs of the blow-fly Phormia regina are complex mixtures of saturated n-, monomethyl- and dimethylalkanes with 23-33 carbon atoms. These CHCs do not appear to change with age or diet, and differ only slightly between the sexes (Byrne et al, 1995 Stoffolano et al., 1997). Males show the same strong copulatory response to dummies covered with the extract of either sex but a very reduced response to hexane-washed flies (Stoffolano et al., 1997). In Calliphora vomitoria, the situation is less clear. Ablation of the female corpora allata or of the ovaries leads to an increase in the proportion of monomethylalkanes. However, these two procedures induce divergent effects on male attraction. Moreover, when hydrocarbon production was unchanged, male attraction was... 

J.-L. (1994). Effects of allatectomy and ovariectomy on cuticular hydrocarbons in Calliphora vomitoria (Diptera). Arch. Insect Biochem. Physiol., 25, 363-373. 

Trabalon, M., Campan, M., Porcheron, P., Clement, J.-L., Baehr, J.-C., Moriniere, M. and Joulie, C. (1990). Relationships among hormonal changes, cuticular hydrocarbons, and attractiveness during the first gonadotropic cycle of the female Calliphora vomitoria (Diptera). Gen. Comp. Endocrinol., 80, 216-222. 

To date, more than 60 members of the A-type ASTs are structurally known from insects and about 20 species have been analyzed. Although only three species of decapod crustaceans were investigated, more than 60 isoforms are known in these crustaceans (see Table 4) interestingly, none is identical to the ASTs identified so far in insects [139]. Thusfar, in each insect and crustacean species investigated to date, multiple isoforms of the A-type Asts have been isolated or demonstrated to be present (see Table 4). Whereas all members of the A-type Ast family contain the relatively conserved pentapeptide core C-terminal of Y/FXFGLamide (for Leu there can be conservative changes such as lie or Val but also Met in the blowfly, Calliphora vomitoria), the N-terminal part of the peptide can... 

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