Abstract:

The structural, physiological and biochemical changes of the substitute host(Coleoptera)parasitized by Scleroderma sichuanensis were studied. The structure of the parasitized substitute host changed significantly on the 10th day. The content of protein and amino acids & the activity of proteinase changed remarkably after the substitute host parasitized by Scleroderma sichuanensis. The content of the protein decreased sharply on the 3rd to 6th day and got the minimum 340.878 0 mg·g^-1 on the 10th day after parasitization. But the total content of the free amino acids increased step by step, so got the maximum 22.362 7 mg·g^-1 on the 10th day, increased by 42.45% compared with the 1st day's. The content of Ser, Gly, Ala, Val, Met, Phe, Ile, Leu, Lys, Trp etc. changed as the total free amino acids content. The highest free amino acids content of parasitized alternative host pupae was Ala on the 3rd, 6th and 10th day, except the 1st day was Tyr with that of the control alternative host pupae being Tyr in all the period. The activity of proteinase elevated rapidly on the 1st to 3rd day after parasitization. It got the maximum 634.786 8 μg Tyr.g^-1·min^-1 on the 3rd day, then descended slowly to the level of the 1st day's. Then the metabolism of protein and amino acids of alternative host the nutritional physiology of S. sichuanensis larvae were discussed.

Key words: Substitute host, Scleroderma sichuanensis, Structure, Free amino acids, Proteinase