Cruz-López L, Rojas J C, De La Cruz-Cordero R, Morgan E D
El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Carretera Antiguo Aeropuerto, Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico.
J Chem Ecol. 2001 Dec;27(12):2437-45. doi: 10.1023/a:1013671330253.
Bioassays in a Y-tube olfactometer showed that workers of Solenopsis geminata (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) were attracted to venom gland extracts of queens. Gas chromatography coupled mass spectrometry analysis of individual glands of queens of S. geminata showed that the secretion is composed mainly of a large amount of 2-alkyl-6-methylpiperidine alkaloids and a tiny amount of a delta-lactone and a a-pyrone, which have been earlier identified as components of the queen attractant pheromone of Solenopsis invicta Buren. However, additional small amounts of a mixture of sesquiterpenes and pentadecene were found. The possible function of the sesquiterpenoid compounds is discussed.
