Cuticular hydrocarbons of the paper wasp, Polistes fuscatus: a search for recognition pheromones

The cuticular chemicals of 124 individual wasps (foundresses and workers) from 23 colonies of Polistes fuscatus were analyzed. The compounds identified, all of which were hydrocarbons, were similar to those of other vespid wasps in that the bulk of the hydrocarbons were 23-33 carbons in chain length...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of chemical ecology Vol. 20; no. 7; p. 1677
Main Authors Espelie, K.E. (University of Georgia, Athens, GA.), Gamboa, G.J, Grudzien, T.A, Bura, E.A
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.07.1994
Subjects
CHIMIE
COLONIALISME
COLONIALISMO
COMPOSICION QUIMICA
COMPOSITION CHIMIQUE
FEROMONAS
HIDROCARBUROS
HYDROCARBURE
NIDIFICACION
NIDIFICATION
PHEROMONE
POLISTES
QUIMICA
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Summary:The cuticular chemicals of 124 individual wasps (foundresses and workers) from 23 colonies of Polistes fuscatus were analyzed. The compounds identified, all of which were hydrocarbons, were similar to those of other vespid wasps in that the bulk of the hydrocarbons were 23-33 carbons in chain length. However, the hydrocarbon profile of P. fuscatus differed from those of its congeners in its proportions of straight-chain alkanes, methyl-alkanes, and alkenes. Three of the 20 identified hydrocarbons, 13- and 15-MeC31, 11,15- and 13,17-diMeC31, and 13-, 15-, and 17-MeC33, had properties postulated for recognition pheromones: colony specificity, efficacy in assigning wasps to the appropriate colony, heritability, lack of differences between foundresses and workers, and distinctive stereochemistry
Bibliography:9561834
L50
ISSN:0098-0331
1573-1561
DOI:10.1007/bf02059889