Prorhinotermes simplex

Termites are social insects, and every species has its own soldier termites that defend the nest. Soldier termites of the species Prorhinotermes simplex have huge heads... 

The defence secretions of the species with labral brushes are lipophilic contact poisons (Prestwich, 1979, Prestwich and Collins, 1982). The major component of the soldier secretion of Prorhinotermes simplex is a nitrogenous compound, 1-nitro-tra/w-pentadecene (Vrkoc and Ubic, 1974). Schedorhino-termes putorius produces three ketones, l-tetradecen-4-one, l-hexadecen-3-one, and 2-tridecanone ((Juennedey et al., 1973). Similar ketones have been found in S. lamanianus (Prestwich et al., 1975), the main component in both... 

Table 16.1 Median lethal doses (at 48 h) of components of Prorhinotermes simplex and Schedorhinotermes lamanianus defensive secretions, and their detoxification products. (From Spanton and Prestwich, 1981)...

Hrdy, L, Krecek, J. and Vrkoc, J. (1977) Biological activity of soldiers secretions in the termites Nasutitermes rippertii, N, costalis and Prorhinotermes simplex, Proc, VIII Int, Cong, lUSSI, Pudoc, Wageningen. pp. 303-4. 

The diterpene, Neocembrene A, or (l , 5A, 9A, 12i )-l,5,9-trimethyl-12-(l-methyl-ethenyl)-l,5,9-cyclotetradecatriene has been identified after SPME and GC-MS analysis as the major component of the trail-following pheromone of the Rhinotermitidae Prorhinotermitinae, Prorhinotermes canalifrons and P. simplex. In all other Rhinotermitidae studied so far, the major component of the trail pheromone has been dodecatrienol. Hydro-quinone was identified for the first time as a phagostimulating pheromone in the Australian termite species, Mastotermes darwiniensis. ... 

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