Abstract
WE report here that in adult tenebrionid beetles, Upis ceramboides, an unusual combination of two polyhydric alcohols, sorbitol and threitol, is associated with the ability to tolerate prolonged freezing to at least −50 °C. The occurrence of threitol is of particular interest, since this compound has not previously been found in nature1.
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MILLER, L., SMITH, J. Production of threitol and sorbitol by an adult insect: association with freezing tolerance. Nature 258, 519–520 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1038/258519a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/258519a0
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