Database Searching

Mascot Generic Format (MGF) peak list files were created using Proteome Discoverer 2.3 software (Thermo Fisher Scientific, San Jose, CA, USA). The MGF sample files were then analyzed using Mascot (Matrix Science, London, UK; version 2.5.1). Mascot was set up to search a contaminant database and Uniprot *Tenebrionidae* database (40,907 entries), assuming that the digestion enzyme was trypsin. Mascot was searched with a fragment ion mass tolerance of 0.60 Da and a parent ion tolerance of 10.0 ppm. Carbamidomethyl of

cysteine was specified in Mascot as a fixed modification. Deamidation of asparagine and glutamine and oxidation of methionine were specified in Mascot as variable modifications. Two missed cleavages were allowed.
