Toxicokinetics of the phototoxic allelochemical α-terthienyl in three herbivorous lepidoptera

α-Terthienyl, a phototoxic secondary metabolite of various Asteraceae, shows considerable variation in its insecticidal activity to different herbivorous lepidopterans. The topical LD50 (lethal dose for 50% mortality) to Manduca sexta was 10 μg/g; to Heliothis virescens, 474 μg/g; and to Ostrinia nubilalis, 698 μg/g. To investigate this differential response, the toxicokinetics of α-[3H]terthienyl (3H-α-T∗ prepared by a new exchange process was …