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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Identification of the Trail-Following Pheromone of the Pest Termite Amitermes evuncifer (Isoptera : Termitidae)

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International audience; Amitermes evuncifer (Termitidae, Termitinae) is a pest termite in several countries of Africa, damaging crops and buildings. The trail-following pheromone of this termite was isolated from worker sternal glands and identified by GC-MS after solid phase microextraction (SPME). The pheromone is composed of (3Z,67,8E)-dodeca-3,6,8-trien-1-ol (dodecatrienol) and neocembrene acting in synergy, neocembrene being 5-10 times more abundant than dodecatrienol. Dodecatrienol alone is able to elicit trail-following in workers, whereas neocembrene alone is inactive. However, the association of both components induces a significantly higher trail-following activity. Multicomponent trail-following pheromones were only known, until now, in the Termitidae Nasutitermitinae, and in the Rhinotermitidae Prorhinotermes.