title: Fatty Amines from Little Black Ants, Monomorium minimum, and Their Biological Activities Against Red Imported Fire Ants, Solenopsis invicta.
abstract: Red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta, are significant invasive pests. Certain native ant species can compete with S. invicta, such as the little black ant, Monomorium minimum. Defensive secretions may contribute to the competition capacity of native ants. The chemistry of ant defensive secretions in the genus Monomorium has been subjected to extensive research. The insecticidal alkaloids, 2,5-dialkyl-pyrrolidines and 2,5-dialkyl-pyrrolines have been reported to dominate the venom of M. minimum. In this study, analysis of defensive secretions of workers and queens of M. minimum revealed two primary amines, decylamine and dodecylamine. Neither amine has been reported previously from natural sources. Toxicity and digging suppression by these two amines against S. invicta were examined. Decylamine had higher toxicity to S. invicta workers than dodecylamine, a quicker knockdown effect, and suppressed the digging behavior of S. invicta workers at lower concentration. However, the amount of fatty amines in an individual ant was not enough to knockdown a fire ant or suppress its digging behavior. These amines most likely work in concert with other components in the chemical defense of M. minimum.
authors.affiliation: College of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, 483 Wushan Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510642, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: National Biological Control Laboratory, Biological Control of Pests Research Unit, USDA-ARS, 59 Lee Road, Stoneville, MS, 38776, USA. jianchen@ars.usda.gov.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000588:Amines / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000187:drug effects*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D007306:Insecticides / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D058865:Introduced Species; D008922:Mississippi
chemical_list: D000588:Amines; D007306:Insecticides; C004744:decylamine; C003935:dodecylamine
keywords: Contact toxicity; Decylamine; Defensive compounds; Digging suppression; Dodecylamine; Invasive ant