title: A list of and some comments about the trail pheromones of ants.
abstract: Ants use many different chemical compounds to communicate with their nestmates. Foraging success depends on how efficiently ants communicate the presence of food and thus recruit workers to exploit the food resource. Trail pheromones, produced by different exocrine glands, are a key part of ant foraging strategies. By combing through the literature, we compiled a list of the identity and glandular origin of the chemical compounds found in the trail pheromones of 75 different ant species. Of the 168 compounds identified, more than 40% are amines. In the subfamily Myrmicinae, trail pheromones are mostly produced in the venom gland, while in the subfamily Formicinae, they come from the rectal gland.
authors.forename: Xim
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cerdá
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: van Oudenhove
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bernstein
authors.forename: Raphaël R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Boulay
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D010675:Pheromones / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D010675:Pheromones