Abstract: 【Aim】 Exploring the differences in chemical constituents of scent gland secretions among different groups in suborder Heteroptera contributes to finding out new characteristics for these insects and providing new evidence for the relationship among different taxa. 【Methods】 We analyzed the chemical profiles of scent gland secretions from 32 species of eight superfamilies of Heteroptera collected from China using solid phase microextraction (SPME) coupled with GC-MS. The chemotaxonomy of the secretions was analyzed by canonical discriminant analysis, nonparametric multivariate analysis of variance and canonical variate analysis at the superfamily level. 【Results】 The results of canonical discriminant analysis show that the compounds secreted by the scent glands exhibit significant variances among different superfamilies in Heteroptera and could be used as taxonomic characteristics for superfamilies in Heteroptera, especially in infraorder of Pentatomomorpha. The results of nonparametric multivariate analysis of variance also support significant variances among superfamilies. The combined results of canonical discriminant analysis and canonical variate analysis show that 30 major characteristic compounds in six groups are found in these insects, including acids (hexanoic acid, butanoic acid, and 2-hexenoic acid), alcohols ［2-butyl-octan-1-ol, 2-hexyl-octan-1-ol, 2-hexyn-1-ol, 3,7-dimethyl-2-octen-1-ol, 4,8-dimethyl-1-nonanol, 2-decen-1-ol, 1-hexanol, cis-pinene hydrate, borneol, 2-bornanol, 1-methoxy-propan-2-ol, 2-ethyl-hexan-1-ol, (6Z, 9Z)-pentadecadien-1-ol, (E)-hexadecen-1-ol, (S)-3-ethyl-4-methyl-pentan-1-ol, isofenchol, and spathulenol］, aldehydes ［(E)-2-octenal, dodecanal, (Z)-3-hexenal, (E)-2-decenal, and (E, E)-2,4-decadienal］, alkanes (2-methyl-hexane and 2,21-dimethyl-docosane), cyclics (furfural) and terpenes (neodihydrocarveol and dihydroterpineol). 【Conclusion】 The 30 characteristic compounds tentatively recognized from the scent secretions of the 32 species of eight superfamilies in Heteroptera can be used as the taxonomic characteristics of superfamilies and the evidences of relationship at the superfamily level.

Key words: Heteroptera, chemotaxonomy, scent gland, secretion, GC-MS