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J Insect Physiol

Title:		"Sex-pairing pheromones and reproductive isolation in three sympatric Cornitermes species (Isoptera, Termitidae, Syntermitinae)"
Author(s):		Bordereau C; Cancello EM; Sillam-Dusses D; Semon E;
Address:		"C.N.R.S-U.M.R. 5548 Developpement et Communication chimique chez les Insectes, Universite de Bourgogne, 6 Bd Gabriel, 21000 Dijon, France. christian.bordereau@u-bourgogne.fr"
Journal Title:		J Insect Physiol
Year:		2011
Volume:		20110128
Issue:		4
Page Number:		469 - 474
DOI:		10.1016/j.jinsphys.2011.01.010
ISSN/ISBN:		1879-1611 (Electronic) 0022-1910 (Linking)
Abstract:		"The species-specificity of pairing has been studied in three sympatric Neotropical termites: Cornitermes bequaerti, Cornitermes cumulans and Cornitermes silvestrii (Termitidae, Syntermitinae). Bioassays showed that sex attraction was highly species-specific between C. bequaerti and C. cumulans but not between C. cumulans and C. silvestrii. The sex-pairing pheromone of the three species is secreted by the tergal glands of female alates. It consists of a common compound (3Z,6Z,8E)-dodeca-3,6,8-trien-1-ol. In C. bequaerti, this polyunsaturated alcohol is the only compound of the sex-pairing pheromone, whereas it is associated with the oxygenated sesquiterpene (E)-nerolidol in C. cumulans, and with (E)-nerolidol and (Z)-dodec-3-en-1-ol in C. silvestrii. (3Z,6Z,8E)-Dodeca-3,6,8-trien-1-ol is responsible for sexual attraction, whereas (E)-nerolidol, which is inactive in eliciting attraction of male alates, is responsible for the species-specificity of the attraction. This is the first time that a multicomponent sex-pairing pheromone has been identified in termites. The role of (Z)-dodec-3-en-1-ol present on the surface of the tergal glands of the female alates of C. silvestrii could not be definitively determined, but it is suggested that this compound could be involved in the species-specificity of sex attraction with other sympatric species of Cornitermes. Our study shows that the reproductive isolation in termites is due to a succession of factors, as the chronology of dispersal flights, the species-specificity of sex-pairing pheromones and the species-specific recognition"
Keywords:		"Animals Female Isoptera/chemistry/*physiology Male Reproduction Sex Attractants/analysis/*metabolism Sexual Behavior, Animal Species Specificity;"
Notes:		"MedlineBordereau, Christian Cancello, Eliana M Sillam-Dusses, David Semon, Etienne eng England 2011/02/01 J Insect Physiol. 2011 Apr; 57(4):469-74. doi: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2011.01.010. Epub 2011 Jan 28"