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Sexual communication in the termite Prorhinotermes simplex (Isoptera, Rhinotermitidae) mediated by a pheromone from female tergal glands

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Abstract

We studied the post-flight behavior and sex attraction in imagoes of the termite Prorhinotermes simplex (Rhinotermitidae, Prorhinotermitinae). Pairing is mediated by the secretion from tergal glands, exposed by females in a calling posture and highly attractive to males. Analysis of extracts of these glands by means of gas chromatography with electroantennographic detection indicated a chromatographic area corresponding to an intense physiological response of males. The retention characteristics of this area proved to be identical with those of (3Z,6Z,8E)-dodeca-3,6,8-trien-1-ol. Electroantennographic and behavioral assays revealed that units of picograms of the compound represent a stimulus qualitatively and quantitatively equivalent to one female tergal gland. Thus, we hypothesize that (3Z,6Z,8E)-dodeca-3,6,8-trien-1-ol is a major component of the female sex pheromone in P. simplex.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Grant Agency of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (project No. A600550614), and by the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague (project No. Z4 055 0506). T. Bourguignon thanks the Fund for Scientific Research (F.R.S.–FNRS), Belgium, for a FRIA pre-doctoral fellowship. We would like to thank Prof. Jan Žďárek and Dr. David Sillam-Dussès (both IOCB, Prague) for critical reading of this manuscript and Nathan Fields for proofreading of the manuscript. We are also grateful to Jarmila Titzenthalerová for her help in experiments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Infochemicals Research Team, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, v.v.i., Flemingovo n. 2, 16610, Prague, Czech Republic

    R. Hanus, A. Luxová, J. Šobotník, B. Kalinová & P. Jiroš

  2. Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, University of Florida, 3205 College Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33314, USA

    J. Křeček

  3. Service d’Eco-éthologie Evolutive, Université Libre de Bruxelles, CP 160/12, avenue F. Roosevelt 50, 1050, Brussels, Belgium

    T. Bourguignon

  4. CNRS-UMR 5548, Communication chimique et Développement chez les Insectes, Université de Bourgogne, 6 Bd Gabriel, 21000, Dijon, France

    C. Bordereau

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  1. R. Hanus
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Correspondence to J. Šobotník.

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Hanus, R., Luxová, A., Šobotník, J. et al. Sexual communication in the termite Prorhinotermes simplex (Isoptera, Rhinotermitidae) mediated by a pheromone from female tergal glands. Insect. Soc. 56, 111–118 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-009-0005-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-009-0005-5

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