GYRINAL

'Gyrinal' is an organic chemical compound  - an unsaturated ketoaldehyde - with the formula C₁₄H₁₈O₃, obtained from the whirligig beetle (the water boatman, Gyrinus natator). It is a powerful antiseptic and fish and mammal toxin, and thus used as a defensive compound. Typically the beetles contain approx. 80 microgram of the compound. The LD₅₀ of the compound is approx. 45 mg/kg in mice.

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References

References

Chemical Ecology - A Chapter of Modern Natural Products Chemistry, Schildknecht, H., , , Angewandte Chemie International Edition in English, 1976
Norsesquiterpenes as defensive toxins of whirligig beetles (Coleoptera: Gyrinidae), Miller, J. R., Hendry, L. B., and Mumma, R. O., , , Journal of Chemical Ecology, 1975