Sexual calling behavior in primitive ants.
The wingless virgin females of the ponerine ant Rhytidoponera metallica attract males by the release of a pheromone from the tergal gland, a hitherto unrecognized exocrine gland located between the last two abdominal segments. This is the first evidence for sexual chemical communication in the large and primitive subfamily Ponerinae.
D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D010675:Pheromones / Q000502:physiology*; D012724:Sex Attractants / Q000502:physiology*; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D013045:Species Specificity
D010675:Pheromones; D012724:Sex Attractants