Fatty Acids of the Boll Weevil

The fatty acid fraction of the boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis Boheman, is a complex mixture of 23 fatty acids ranging in chain length from 6 to 20 carbon atoms. Eight major acids account for 98% of the total. These eight are: myristic (C14), palmitic (C16), palmitoleic (C16.1), heptadecanoic (C17), stearic (C18), oleic (C18.1), linoleic (C18.2), and lionlenic (C18.3). Their relative percent composition is in the same overall proportion both in total body fat and in the isolated triglyceride fraction. About 62% of the boll weevil's fatty acids contain at least one double bond, these unsaturated acids occurring mainly in the C18 series. The remaining 38% are saturated, with palmitic acid accounting for 30% in itself.