What is "pederin"

Pederin is a vesicant toxic amide with two tetrahydropyran rings, found in the haemolymph of the Paederus genus of beetles, including the Nairobi fly, belonging to the Staphylinidae family. It was first characterized by processing 25 million field-collected P. fuscipes. It makes up approximately 0.025% of an insects weight (for P. fuscipes).

It has been demonstrated that the production of pederin relies on the activities of an endosymbiont ( Pseudomonas ssp.) within Paederus.

The manufacture of pederin is largely confined to adult female beetles—larvae and males only store pederin acquired maternally (i.e., through eggs) or by ingestion.