GC-MS analysis of termite defensive compounds secreted from their frontal glands

Abstract

We compared the anatomy and chemistry of the frontal gland in imagoes and soldiers of four rhinotermitid and one serritermitid genera. Our results suggest that the gland in imagoes is not just an unperfect expression of the soldier frontal gland, but rather an organ with special adaptive value shaped by the life history of termite imagoes.

Keywords

• frontal gland
• GC-MS
• lerminate defence