(Z,Z,E)-3,6,8-dodecatrien-1-ol, a major component of trail-following pheromone in two sympatric termite species <em>Reticulitermes lucifugus grassei <em>and</em> R. santonensis</em>

International audienceTrail-following bioassays show that trails of the two subterranean termites, Reticulitermes lucifugus grassei and R. santonensis, which are sympatric in some areas of southwestern France, are not species specific. Even when tested just above threshold level, trails from pentane extracts of whole workers of R. santonensis are always preferred by both species. If the R. santonensis extract is progressively diluted, the preference is lost. In purified extracts of workers of R. lucifugus grassei that elicited a trail-following response, only one compound is active. It was identified by GC-MS as the same major compound of the trail-following pheromone of R. santonensis: (Z,Z,E)-3,6,8-dodecatrien-1-ol (DTE-OH). The threshold concentration of activity of synthetic DTE-OH was determined to be 10–3 ng/cm of trail; optimal activity was obtained at 10–2 ng/cm of trail. The increase of trail-following activity of worker extracts of R. lucifugus grassei after hydrolysis by potassium hydroxide suggests that DTE-OH also is bound to other components in sternal gland secretions. DTE-OH was also identified in alates of R. lucifugus grassei, suggesting that the compound functions both as a trail-following and a sex pheromone, as has been shown to be the case in R. santonensis. This demonstrates the high economy developed by termites in their strategies of chemical communication