The trail-following pheromone of the termiteSerritermes serrifer

The Neotropical family Serritermitidae is a monophyletic group of termites including two genera,SerritermesandGlossotermes, with different way-of-life, the former being the sole obligatory inquiline among lower termites, while the latter is a single-site nester feeding on dry rotten red wood. Like the most advanced termite's family, the Termitidae, the Serritermitidae is an inner group of the paraphyletic family Rhinotermitidae, but unlike the Termitidae, it has been poorly studied so far. In this study, we bring new insights into the chemical ecology of this key taxon. We studied the trail-following pheromone ofSerritermes serriferand we identified (10Z,13Z)-nonadeca-10,13-dien-2-one as the only component of the trail-following pheromone of this termite species, as it is the case inGlossotermes, the other genus belonging to Serritermitidae. This result makes the family Serritermitidae clearly distinct from other Rhinotermitidae, such as the termitesPsammotermesandProrhinotermes, that use (3Z,6Z,8E)-dodeca-3,6,8-trien-1-ol and/or neocembrene as trail-following pheromones.

Automated summary

The Neotropical family Serritermitidae is a monophyletic group of termites with two genera, Serritermes and Glossotermes, each having unique lifestyles. The study revealed that both genera share the same trail-following pheromone component, distinguishing them from other termite families.