Tuesday, December 11, 2001 - 2:42 PM
0670

Discovery of a gland producing a contact sex pheromone in the Formosan termite

Yong Ihl Park, Ashok Raina, and John Bland. USDA, ARS Southern Regional Research Center, 1100 Robert E. Lee Blvd, New Orleans, LA

We are reporting the discovery of female sex pheromone glands(FSPG) in the Formosan termite, Coptotermes formosanus. The FSPG produces a contact sex pheromone which mediates tandeming. We have tentatively identified the pheromone as trilinolein. A comparison of glands producing putative sex pheromones in Coptotermes , Reticulitermes , and Incisitermes will be discussed.

Species 1: Isoptera Rhinotermitidae Coptotermes formosanus (Formosan subterranean termite)
Species 2: Isoptera Rhinotermitidae Reticulitermes virginicus (native termite)
Species 3: Isoptera Kalotermitidae Incisitermes snyderi (drywood termite)
Keywords: Primary reproductives

The ESA 2001 Annual Meeting - 2001: An Entomological Odyssey of ESA