Trinervitermes bettonianus

T73 Trinervitermes bettonianus,575 Cubitermes umbratus,576 termites, Monomorium, ants 577... 

Cembranoids are present both in plants and animals. The majority of the cembranoids of plant origin was isolated from tobacco. Cembranoid diterpenes, which serve as a trail pheromone and defense secretions, have been obtained from termites Nasutitermes exitiosus [160], Trinervitermes bettonianus [161], and various species of Cubitermes [162] and the ant Monmorium pharaonis [163],... 

Fig. 16.16 Post-flight behavior of Trinervitermes bettonianus. (a) Female calling behavior, showing tergal glands and sternal gland exposed (b) Male following strong pheromone trail of female (c) Tandem run, with male in attennal contact with female (after Leuthold, 1975).

Leuthold, R. H. (1977) Postflight communication in two termite species, Trinervitermes bettonianus and Hodotermes mossambicus, Proc, VIII Int, Cong. lUSSI. Pudoc, Wageningen. pp. 62-4. 

Leuthold, R. H. and Ltischer, M. (1974) An unusual caste polymorphism of the sternal gland and its trail pheromone production in the termite Trinervitermes bettonianus. Insectes Sociaux, 21, 335-42. 

Prestwich, G. D. and Chen, D. (1981) Soldier defense secretions of Trinervitermes bettonianus (Isoptera, Nasutitermitinae) chemical variation in allopatric populations. J, Chem, EcoL, 7, 147-57. 

Quennedey, A. and Leuthold, R. H. (1978) Fine structure and pheromonal properties of the polymorphic sternal gland in Trinervitermes bettonianus (Isoptera). Insectes Sociaux, 25, 153-62. 

A range of monoterpenes has been identified from Nasutitermes species (Prestwich, 1979 Baker and Walmsley, 1982) of which a-pinene, /J-pinene, limonene, terpinolene, and myrcene are the most common. In Trinervitermes gratiosus, intraspecific variations occur (Prestwich, 1978) in allopatric populations from Kenya. Major soldiers produce a-pinene. Minor soldiers from two populations produce a-pinene, -pinene, camphene, and limonene, but only a-pinene in the other group. More pronounced variations occur in the diterpenes, and populations of this species and T. bettonianus (Prestwich and Chen, 1981) are easily distinguished on the basis of the diterpene profiles of major and minor soldiers (Fig. 16.15). These population differences are not due to diet, and injection of labelled precursors (Prestwich et al., 1981) into Nasutitermes octopilis has demonstrated that the soldiers are capable of synthesizing the mono- and diterpenoid components of their secretion. 

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