The unique epicuticular chemistry of Collembola – A cross-species analysis

Springtails (Collembola), tiny hexapod arthropods, are abundant in the soil of most ecosystems, but our knowledge of their secondary metabolites is limited, in contrast to that of insects. In insects, the outer cuticle is usually covered by mixtures of long-chain hydrocarbons serving different functions, such as water regulation or chemical communication. In contrast, the knowledge of the epicuticular chemistry of springtails is scarce. We analyzed the cuticular lipids of 23 species covering different lineages. The often complicated structures were elucidated using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, microderivatization, and synthesis. In contrast to insects, the terpene biosynthetic pathway is used for many of these lipids, producing unprecedented higher terpenes. In addition, evidence for de novo cholesterol biosynthesis in springtails was found, which is absent in insects. Finally, diverse non-insect linear compounds originating from the fatty acid biosynthetic pathway were identified. Our comparative analysis showed clear differences compared to insects and shed light on phylogenetic relationships. [Display omitted] •Comparative analysis of epicuticular lipids of 23 springtail species of 8 families•Epicuticular lipid chemistry of springtails shows clear differences to that of insects•Discovery of unique higher terpenes, esters, and hydrocarbons as cuticular compounds•Characterization of many of these lipids by GC/MS, derivatization, and synthesis Entomology; Biochemistry; Evolutionary biology; Analytical chemistry; Organic chemistry