title: Cuticular hydrocarbons in two parapatric species of ants and their hybrid.
abstract: Discrimination between nestmates and non-nestmates in social insects is thought to rely on the pattern of cuticular hydrocarbons. We investigated the cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of 2 parapatric sibling ant species, Temnothorax nylanderi (Förster, 1850) and Temnothorax crassispinus (Karavaiev, 1926), and their hybrid. We found that although the profiles show considerable similarities, a discriminant analysis based on the relative peak areas of cuticular hydrocarbons separates the 3 taxa. The profiles of hybrids were not consistently intermediate between those of the paternal species, suggesting either non-additive interactions among the parental biosynthetic pathways or systematic differences in environment-derived odor cues.
authors.affiliation: Biologie I, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany. mohamedelshehaby@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: El-Shehaby
authors.forename: Mohamed Sayed
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Salama
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Brunner
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heinze
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D003463:Cues; D016002:Discriminant Analysis; D005858:Germany; D006824:Hybridization, Genetic; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000378:metabolism*; D009812:Odorants; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D006838:Hydrocarbons