np9b00972_si_001.pdf (3.43 MB)
A Fluorescent Compound from the Exuviae of the Scorpion, Liocheles australasiae
journal contribution
posted on 2020-02-03, 12:35 authored by Yusuke Yoshimoto, Masato Tanaka, Masahiro Miyashita, Mohammed Abdel-Wahab, Alhussin M. A. Megaly, Yoshiaki Nakagawa, Hisashi MiyagawaMost scorpions fluoresce under UV
light. To date, two types of
fluorescent compounds have been identified in scorpions, but it has
been assumed that other unknown compounds may be responsible for the
fluorescence. In this study, we isolated a fluorescent compound from
the exuviae of the scorpion Liocheles australasiae identified as a macrocyclic diphthalate ester with a molecular mass
of 496.2 Da. The same compound was also detected in extracts from
four other scorpion species. This suggests that this compound is shared
by multiple scorpion species, although its contribution to the cuticle
fluorescence may be relatively small.