Chemical and behavioral studies on dufour gland contents of Manica rubida (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Brian D. Jackson, Marie Claire Cammaerts, E. David Morgan, Athula B. Attygalle

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

17 Scopus citations

Abstract

The Dufour gland of Manica rubida contains a simple mixture of (Z, E)-α-farnesene and (Z, E)-α-homofarnesene with tiny amounts of other faraesene, homofarnesene, and bishomofarnesene isomers. The gland also contains a mixture of very volatile compounds, chiefly acetone, with smaller amounts of acetaldehyde, ethanol, propanol, isobutyraldehyde, butenone, and butanone. The workers of M. rubida are not attracted to these highly volatile compounds as are workers of Myrmica species, but M. rubida workers show a strong increase of linear speed when stimulated by a freshly isolated gland. This response of increased speed of both M. rubida and M. trubra to their own or each other's Dufour gland secretion is consistent with the presence of the farnesenes in them both.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)827-840
Number of pages14
JournalJournal of Chemical Ecology
Volume16
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 1990

Keywords

  • Ant
  • Dufour gland
  • Formicidae
  • Hymenoptera
  • Manica rubida
  • acetone
  • farnesene
  • homofarnesene

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