Synthesis of a toxic octapeptide from the larvae of sawfly

The synthetic octapeptide lophyrotomin (PhCO-D-Ala-D-Phe-L-Val-L-lle-D-Asp-L-Asp-D-Glu-L-Gln), the toxic factor of the larvae of an Australian species of sawfly, Lophyrotoma interrupta, has been prepared by solid-phase synthesis and proved to be identical with the natural material.