Morphology and Chemistry of the Odoriferous Gland of the Lesser Mealworm, Alphitobius diaperinus (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae),

Alphitobius diaperinus (Panzer) has a secretion reservoir with its associated gland cells in the posterior abdominal cavity. The reservoir is essentially an infolding of the ventral intersegmental membrane between segments 7 and 8. The secretory cells stain with methylene blue and can be seen on the outer surface of the reservoir wall. The major components of the secretion stored in the reservoir are 2-methyl-l,4-benzoquinone and 2-ethyl-1, 4-benzoquinone in a 1:5 ratio. Other constituents are an unknown compound which may be a 1,4-benzoquinone derivative and at least 3 monounsaturated hydrocarbons.