NMR structure determination of (11E)-trinervita-1(14),2,11-triene, a new diterpene from sexual glands of termites
Graphical Abstract Full-size image; International audience; Female alates of Nasutitermes ephratae termites from Guadeloupe and Nasutitermes sp. from Brazil produce a diterpene hydrocarbon of the molecular formula C20H30 as the main component of their tergal gland secretion. Analysis of NMR, IR, and mass spectra of the diterpene led to a structure of (11E)-trinervita-1(14),2,11-triene. Based on a comparison with the published oxygenated trinervitane skeleton from termites we prefer the enantiomer with absolute configurations (4R,7S,8R,15S,16S). The suggested structure is supported by ab initio quantum chemical calculation of 1H and 13C chemical shifts for the optimized geometry of the molec…
Identification of multi-component trail pheromones in the most evolutionarily derived termites, the Nasutitermitinae (Termitidae)
In the present study, trail pheromone blends are identified for the first time in termites. In the phylogenetically complex Nasutitermitinae, trail-following pheromones are composed of dodecatrienol and neocembrene, the proportions of which vary according to species, although neocembrene is always more abundant than dodecatrienol (by 25–250-fold). Depending on species, termites were more sensitive to dodecatrienol or to neocembrene but the association of both components always elicited significantly higher trail following, with a clear synergistic effect in most of the studied species. A third component, trinervitatriene, was identified in the sternal gland secretion of several species, but…