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Intersexual Differences in Chemical Composition of Precloacal Gland Secretions of the Amphisbaenian Blanus cinereus

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Abstract

Pheromonal communication seems to be especially important in amphisbaenians, a group of reptiles morphologically and functionally adapted to fossorial life. Both male and female amphisbaenians (Blanus cinereus) produce copious amounts of a secretion from the precloacal glands. Analysis by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry revealed that these secretions contain 29 major lipophilic compounds, including several steroids (mainly cholesterol and cholesteryl methyl ether), n-C9 to n-C18 carboxylic acids (more diverse in males), and methyl and long-chain (waxy)-type esters of carboxylic acids, along with squalene (mainly in males) and tocopherol (only in females). There were clear intersexual differences in the presence/absence of some compounds, such as some fatty acids, steroids, and tocopherol, and in the relative proportions of some shared compounds, such as squalene. These differences may explain how the sexes of this amphisbaenian discriminate one another based on scent alone. The abundance of steroids and waxy esters in secretions of both male and female amphisbaenians may be useful to scent mark underground tunnels to facilitate orientation by these organisms.

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Acknowledgments

We thank two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments and “El Ventorrillo” MNCN Field Station for use of their facilities. Financial support was provided by the MCYT project BOS 2002-00598.

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  1. Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain

    Pilar López & José Martín

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  1. Pilar López
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  2. José Martín
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Correspondence to Pilar López.

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López, P., Martín, J. Intersexual Differences in Chemical Composition of Precloacal Gland Secretions of the Amphisbaenian Blanus cinereus. J Chem Ecol 31, 2913–2921 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-005-8403-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-005-8403-2

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