title: Scent gland constituents of the Middle American burrowing python, Loxocemus bicolor (Serpentes: Loxocemidae).
abstract: Analysis by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry of the scent gland secretions of male and female Middle American burrowing pythons (Loxocemus bicolor) revealed the presence of over 300 components including cholesterol, fatty acids, glyceryl monoalkyl ethers, and alcohols. The fatty acids, over 100 of which were identified, constitute most of the compounds in the secretions and show the greatest structural diversity. They include saturated and unsaturated, unbranched and mono-, di-, and trimethyl-branched compounds ranging in carbon-chain length from 13 to 24. The glyceryl monoethers possess saturated or unsaturated, straight or methyl-branched alkyl chains ranging in carbon-chain length from 13 to 24. Alcohols, which have not previously been reported from the scent glands, possess straight, chiefly saturated carbon chains ranging in length from 13 to 24. Sex or individual differences in secretion composition were not observed. Compounds in the scent gland secretions of L. bicolor may deter offending arthropods, such as ants.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Organische Chemie, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Hagenring 30, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany.
authors.forename: Thies
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schulze
authors.affiliation: Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, 1500 Remount Road, Front Royal, Virginia 22630, USA.
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Weldon
authors.affiliation: Institut für Organische Chemie, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Hagenring 30, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4810-324X
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schulz
mesh_terms: D000438:Alcohols / Q000032:analysis*; D000818:Animals; D017821:Boidae / Q000378:metabolism*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D005995:Glyceryl Ethers / Q000032:analysis*; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male; D012543:Scent Glands / Q000378:metabolism*; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D000438:Alcohols; D005227:Fatty Acids; D005995:Glyceryl Ethers; D008055:Lipids
keywords: alcohols; fatty acids; glyceryl monoalkyl ethers; scent gland; snake