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Identification of trail pheromone of the antTetramorium caespitum L. (Hymenoptera: Myrmicinae)

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Abstract

The trail pheromone of the antTetramorium caespitum L. is a 70∶30 mixture of 2,5-dimethylpyrazine and 3-ethyl-2, 5-dimethylpyrazine. The average total amount of the two pyrazines present in the poison vesicle was found to be 3.9 ng per ant, of which 2.7 ± 0.4 ng is 2,5-dimethylpyrazine and 1.15 ±0.25 ng is 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine. The pyrazines constitute only 0.03% of the volume of the poison vesicle but account for the whole of the trail-following activity. A 70∶30 mixture of the respective pyrazines evoked the highest activity in artificial trail-following tests.

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  1. Department of Chemistry, University of Keele Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, UK

    Athula B. Attygalle & E. David Morgan

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  1. Athula B. Attygalle
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  2. E. David Morgan
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Attygalle, A.B., Morgan, E.D. Identification of trail pheromone of the antTetramorium caespitum L. (Hymenoptera: Myrmicinae). J Chem Ecol 10, 1453–1468 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00990315

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00990315

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