Volatile secretions of old world army antAenictus rotundatus and chemotaxonomic implications of army ant dufour gland chemistry.
The Dufour glands ofAenictus rotundatus contain a complex mixture of terpenoids with geranylgeraniol comprising over 50% of the secretion. Some novel compounds have been tentatively identified as higher homologs of 1,3,3-trimethyl-2,7-dioxabicyclo[2,2,1]heptane based on GC-MS data. The Dufour gland secretion ofA. rotundatus is more similar in composition to the secretions of members of the subfamily Ecitoninae than to its closer relatives from the tribe Dorylini, a result that further complicates studies on the phylogeny of army ants. The mandibular glands ofA. rotundatus contain a mixture of 4-methyl-3-heptanone and limonene in trace amounts, and the well-developed postpygidial glands contain methyl anthranilate only.
Department of Chemistry, Keele University, ST5 5BG, Keele, Staffordshire, England.
N J
NJ
Oldham
E
E
David Morgan
B
B
Gobin
E
E
Schoeters
J
J
Billen