Summary.
For the first time, a termite sex pheromone secreted by tergal glands has been isolated and identified. In the mandibulate nasute termite Cornitermes bequaerti, pairing of swarming imagoes is mediated by a sex pheromone secreted by females from their tergal glands. These well developed sexual glands located in front of tergites 8, 9, 10 are essentially composed of class 1 and 2 cells, but also of some glandular units of class 3 cells. The major volatile compound of tergal secretion was isolated by solid phase microextraction (SPME) and identified by GC-MS as (3Z, 6Z, 8E)-dodecatrien-1-ol. Sex attraction bioassays with synthetic (3Z, 6Z, 8E)-dodecatrien-1-ol showed that this alcohol was the main component of the sex pheromone in C.bequaerti. The cellular origin and the key role of (3Z, 6Z, 8E)-dodecatrien-1-ol in the biology of termites are discussed.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Received 16 July 2001; revised 4 February 2002; accepted 7 March 2002.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bordereau, C., Cancello, E., Sémon, E. et al. Sex pheromone identified after Solid Phase Microextraction from tergal glands of female alates in Cornitermes bequaerti (Isoptera, Nasutitermitinae). Insectes soc. 49, 209–215 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-002-8303-1
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-002-8303-1