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Chemistry and Anatomy of the Frontal Gland in Soldiers of the Sand Termite Psammotermes hybostoma

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Abstract

A great diversity of defensive chemicals has been described in termite soldiers equipped with a unique defensive organ, the frontal gland. Along with the functional diversity of these compounds, reflecting the evolutionary history of particular lineages and their defensive strategies, a considerable degree of chemical variability often occurs among species and populations. Thus, the chemistry of termite defense may provide information on the phylogeny and geographic dispersal of species and populations. In this paper, we report on the anatomy of the frontal gland and on the diversity of soldier defensive chemicals in the sand termite, Psammotermes hybostoma, from nine colonies and five different localities in Egypt. Using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, a total of 30 sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, or their oxygenated derivatives, were detected, and the chemical identity of most of them identified. In addition, a ketone, an ester, and a diterpene were identified in some colonies. Within colonies, the chemical composition was stable and did not differ among soldier size categories. However, there were pronounced quantitative and qualitative differences in frontal gland chemicals among colonies and geographic locations. The findings are discussed in a broader comparison with other termite taxa.

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Acknowledgements

Financial support was provided by the Czech Science Foundation (P506/10/1570), by the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague (No. Z40550506), and by the Grant Agency of the Charles University in Prague (SVV 2012–265201 and MSM 0021620857). We are grateful to Thomas Bourguignon for the information on developmental pathways in Psammotermes and for the scanning electron microphotographs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Flemingovo n. 2, 166 10, Prague, Czech Republic

    Jana Krasulová, Robert Hanus, Kateřina Kutalová, Jan Šobotník, David Sillam-Dussès, Michal Tichý & Irena Valterová

  2. Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Albertov 6, 128 43, Prague, Czech Republic

    Jana Krasulová & Kateřina Kutalová

  3. Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1050, Brussels, Belgium

    Robert Hanus

  4. Laboratoire Ecologie et Evolution CNRS UMR 7625, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, 7 quai Saint Bernard, 75005, Paris, France

    David Sillam-Dussès

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  1. Jana Krasulová
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Correspondence to Robert Hanus.

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Krasulová, J., Hanus, R., Kutalová, K. et al. Chemistry and Anatomy of the Frontal Gland in Soldiers of the Sand Termite Psammotermes hybostoma . J Chem Ecol 38, 557–565 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-012-0123-9

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