Fat Body Lipid Alterations in White Grub Adults of Oryctes rhinocero

The fat body plays major roles in the life of insects. It is a dynamic tissue involved in multiple metabolic functions. One of these functions is to store and release energy in response to the energy demands of the insect. Insects store energy reserves in the form of glycogen and triglycerides in the adipocytes, The neutral lipids (NL) and phospholipids (PL) with their constituents were studied in the fat body of male and female adults of Oryctes rhinoceros, by employing thin layer chromatography (TLC) and bioassay technique. The quantity of neutral lipids in male and female fat body were measured 57.501 and 45.894 mg/gm wet weight of tissues respectively. The main component of neutral lipids was triacylglycerol. The phospholipid values in male and female were 17.26 and 16.85 mg/gm wet weight of tissues respectively. The NL PL ratio in male and female adults was recorded to 31. The neutral lipids found in six forms. Triacylglycerol was the main component, monoacylglycerol, diacylglycerol, cholesterol, were moderate and cholesterol ester and free fatty acids low in quantity. Phospholipids exhibited seven constituents, phosphatidyl-choline and phosphatidyl-ethanolamine in high concentration, Lysophosphatidyl-choline and sphingomyelin in moderate concentration, and phosphatidyl-inositol, phosphatidyl-serine and phosphatidic acid low in quantity.