Experientia

, Volume 45, Issue 5, pp 487–489 | Cite as

3-Ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine, a component of the trail pheromone of the antMessor bouvieri

  • B. D. Jackson
  • P. J. Wright
  • E. D. Morgan
Research Articles

Summary

3-Ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine, found in the poison gland of workers, induces trail following in the Mediterranean harvester antMessor bouvieri. The poison gland contains on average 9 ng of this trail pheromone component. The alkaloids anabasine and anabaseine are also present in this gland, but induce no reaction in workers. Trail following is also induced by substances present in the Dufour gland, but the combined effect of both glands shows no synergism.

Key words

Messor bouvieri Formicidae 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine trail pheromone poison gland anabasine Dufour gland Tapinoma simrothi 

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Copyright information

© Birkhäuser Verlag 1989

Authors and Affiliations

  • B. D. Jackson
    • 2
  • P. J. Wright
    • 1
  • E. D. Morgan
    • 2
  1. 1.Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Keele(England)
  2. 2.Department of ChemistryUniversity of Keele(England)

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