Frog Volatile Compounds: Application of in vivo SPME for the characterization of the Odorous Secretions from Two Species of Hypsiboas Treefrogs

BRUNETTI, A.E.; MERIB, J.; CARASEK, E.; CARAMAO, E.B.; BARBARA, J.; ZINI, C.A.; FAIVOVICH, J.

JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ECOLOGY

SPRINGER

Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2015 vol. 41 p. 360 - 372

0098-0331

Anovel in vivo design was used in combination withsolid-phase microextraction (SPME) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) to characterize the volatile compoundsfrom the skin secretion of two species of tree frogs.Conventional SPME-GC/MS also was used for the analysisof volatiles present in skin samples and for the analysis ofvolatiles present in the diet and terraria. In total, 40 and 37compounds were identified in the secretion of Hypsiboaspulchellus and H. riojanus, respectively, of which, 35 werecommon to both species. Aliphatic aldehydes, a low molecularweight alkadiene, an aromatic alcohol, and other aromatics,ketones, a methoxy pyrazine, sulfur containing compounds,and hemiterpenes are reported here for the first time in anurans.Most of the aliphatic compounds seem to be biosynthesized bythe frogs following different metabolic pathways, whereas aromaticsand monoterpenes are most likely sequestered fromenvironmental sources. The characteristic smell of the secretionof H. pulchellus described by herpetologists as skunk-like orherbaceous is explained by a complex blend of different odoriferouscomponents. The possible role of the volatiles found inH. pulchellus and H. riojanus is discussed in the context ofprevious hypotheses about the biological function of volatilesecretions in frogs (e.g., sex pheromones, defense secretionsagainst predators, mosquito repellents).