Myrmecia gulosa

Dietemann, V., Liebig, J., Holldobler, B. and Peeters, C. (2005). Changes in the cuticular hydrocarbons of incipient reproductives correlate with triggering of worker policing in the bulldog ant Myrmecia gulosa. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol., 58,486-496. 

Dietemann, V., Peeters, C Liebig, J., Thivet, V. and Holldobler, B. (2003). Cuticular hydrocarbons mediate recognition of queens and reproductive workers in the ant Myrmecia gulosa. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 100, 10341-10346. 

Similarly to C. floridanus, additional short-chain compounds are produced in reproductive queens and workers of Myrmecia gulosa (Dietemann et al., 2003) and Aphaenogaster cock-erelli (Smith et al., 2008). While in A. cockerelli nine compounds are produced in repro-ductives in addition to the normal worker profile, only two compounds (9-pentacosene and 3-methylpentacosane) occur additionally in the short-chain part of the cuticular hydrocarbon profile in M. gulosa. In total the differences are less pronounced in M. gulosa. 

Occurs in the ant Myrmecia gulosa and the flowers of Citrus bigaradia. 

Controversy on the use of the terms pheromone, allomone and kairo-mone has been a problem in chemical ecology 122, 123, 135-145). When Karlson and Luscher 121) proposed the term pheromone, they stated that strict species-specific activity is not required certain overlaps between closely related species may occur . Indeed, Haskins et al. 146) reported that formic acid, a potent alarm pheromone and the defensive secretion (thus an allomone) from Camponotus sp. is also an effective kairomone for its predator Myrmecia gulosa, because it induces more vigorous attacks by M. gulosa on Camponotus. 

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