456 



895. , and Sikorowski, P. P. 1978. The effect of bacterial load on amino 

 acids in the boll weevil, Anthonomus grandls . J. Invertebr. Pathol. 

 31: 388-389. 



The concentrations of each amino acid is the average of 10 replicates of five 

 weevils each. The bacterial count for contaminated weevils was 5000 and above. 

 Individual amino acids were in greater concentration in the uncontaminated female 

 than in the uncontaminated male by 10 to 15%. However, the average total loss of 

 amino acids due to bacterial contamination was 18% in the females and 22% in the ' 



male weevils. The amount of serine and lysine was not greatly affected by bac- 

 terial contamination in the female, whereas the concentration of tryosine doubled. 



Others have shown that weevils with 2.2 X 10 bacteria in the gut produced 0.59 



> 



3 j^ 



\i% of pheromone/weevil per day; weevils v;lth 1.4 X 10 bacteria produced 3.51 



yg. We do not know whether the decrease in amino acids of contaminated weevils 

 occurs because of competition by bacteria for acids in the diet or whether the 

 contaminated insects lose the ability to absorb amino acids and protein through 

 the cell wall of the midgut. 



^•> 



896. ; Sikorowski, P. P.; and Wyatt, J. M. 1977. The effect of bacterial 



load on fatty acids in the boll weevil, Anthonomus grandls (Coleoptera: 



Curculionidae). J. Invertebr. Pathol. 30: 274-275. 

 The concentration of each fatty acid found (16:0, 16:1, 18:0, 18:1, 18:2) was 

 converted to calories for three levels of bacterial contamination. Comparison 

 of individual fatty acids from the contaminated and uncontaminated showed a 

 decrease up to 76% in the highly contaminated (5000 + bacteria/weevil) v;eevils. 

 Caloric evaluation of the fatty acids in the boll weevil egg indicated that the 

 healthy female must provide 25.1% of her total body fatty acids per day in pro- 

 ducing eggs (seven eggs/day). The presence of these bacteria can, therefore, 

 place a stress on oviposition. 



