Fatty acid composition of odonate's eyes.

N N Sushchik, O N Popova, O N Makhutova, M I Gladyshev

Doklady. Biochemistry and biophysics 2017 Jul

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We have studied the fatty acid composition of eyes of amphibiotic insects, namely, the odonate Sympetrum flaveolum. The main polyunsaturated fatty acid of odonate's eyes has been found to be 20:5n-3 (eicosapentaenoic fatty acid, EPA) rather than 18:2n-6 and 18:3n-3, which usually dominate in eyes of terrestrial insects, or 22:6n-3, which dominates in eyes of vertebrates. The prevalence of EPA in odonate's eyes probably provides a more effective transmission of light signal in this animal compared to terrestrial insects. It is important for odonates because vision plays a decisive role in finding and catching prey.

Citation

N N Sushchik, O N Popova, O N Makhutova, M I Gladyshev. Fatty acid composition of odonate's eyes. Doklady. Biochemistry and biophysics. 2017 Jul;475(1):280-282