Summary
A comparative description is given of the purpose and glandular source of odour trails in the three insect orders in which trail-following phenomena have been recognized, Isoptera, Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera. The different types of bioassay and the chromatographic methods which together are required for isolation are outlined. Examples are given of the chemical structures of trail pheromones from the three orders, with attention to the non-specific nature of some pheromones active across a range of species and an example of species-specificity in Tetramorium ants. Examples of structure-activity relationships are given. Trail pheromones may vary from simple single compounds to complex mixtures containing recruitment and orientation components.
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Morgan, E.D. (1990). Insect Trail Pheromones: A Perspective of Progress. In: McCaffery, A.R., Wilson, I.D. (eds) Chromatography and Isolation of Insect Hormones and Pheromones. Chromatographic Society Symposium Series. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-8062-7_25
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-8062-7_25
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