Abstract
Totally blind army ants carry out massive and highly organised foraging raids, apparently guided by chemical stimuli. Until now, this phenomenon has not been closely analysed. The existence of a trail pheromone in a postpygidial gland of anAenictus species has been demonstrated and the substances identified as methyl anthranilate and methyl nicotinate The pheromone consists of two parts: a primer effect, caused by methyl nicotinate, which prepares workers to follow trails, but is not itself followed, and a releaser effect, due to methyl anthranilate, which causes trail-following only in conjunction with the primer substance.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Hölldober, B., and Wilson, E. O., The Ants. Springer-Verlag, Berlin-Heidelberg 1990.
Gotwald, W. H., in: Social Insects, vol. 4, p. 157. Ed. H. R. Hermann. Academic Press, New York 1982.
Schneirla, T. C., and Reyes, A. Y., Anim. Behav.14 (1966) 132.
Billen, J., in: Biology and Evolution of Social Insects, p. 203. Ed. J. Billen. Leuven University Press, Leuven 1992.
Morgan, E. D., in: Chromatography and Isolation of Insect Hormones and Pheromones, p. 259. Eds A. R. McCaffery and I. D. Wilson. Plenum Press, New York 1990.
Bagnères, A. G., Billen, J., and Morgan, E. D., J. chem. Ecol.17 (1991) 1633.
Keegans, S. J., Billen, J., Morgan, E. D., and Gökcen, O. A., J. chem. Ecol.19 (1993) 2705.
Pasteels, J. M., and Verhaeghe, J-C., Insectes soc.21 (1974) 167.
Morgan, E. D., and Wadhams, L. J., J. chromat. Sci.10 (1972) 528.
Hölldober, B., and Engel, H., Psyche85 (1978) 185.
Wilson, E. O., Scient. Am.208 (1963) 100.
Vander Meer, R. K., Alvarez, F., and Lofgren, C. S., J. chem. Ecol.14 (1988) 825.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Oldham, N.J., Morgan, E.D., Gobin, B. et al. First identification of a trail pheromone of an army ant (Aenictus species). Experientia 50, 763–765 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01919378
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01919378