Piper fuligineum is a species that occurs in the Cerrado biome, which has few studies in the literature,
two of which are associated with ovicidal activity on agricultural pests. The objective of this research was
to characterize the essential oil of the branches, leaves and fruits of P. fuligineum and to investigate the
insecticidal potential of the essential oil of the fruits against Tribolium castaneum, the red flour beetle.
Furthermore, a hemolytic activity assay was carried out as an indicator of toxicity towards mammalian
cells. The essential oils had a very variable chemical composition and the presence of eupatoriochromene,
a substance already reported as an insecticide. The highest yield oil was observed for the essential oil of
the fruits and, therefore, was used in the tests with T. castaneum. It was possible to observe contact and
deterrent toxic effects on T. castaneum adults. No cytotoxic effect on erythrocytic cells was observed.
These results show that P. fuligineum essential oil is a promising product for research into new insecticides.
Keywords: Bioinsecticides; eupatoriochromene; pest control; red beetle.