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Marking pheromones ofAlpinobombus males

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Abstract

The male marking pheromone blends which emanate from the cephalic part of the labial gland, have been analyzed in four species of the bumble bee genusAlpinobombus, viz.,A. alpinus,A. balteatus, A. hyperboreus, andA. polaris, by combined capillary gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, and thin-layer chromatography. In all, 36 specimens were analyzed.A. alpinus andA. polaris, which are similar morphologically, both showed an acetogenic composition of the pheromone blend. The dominant compound inA. alpinus proved to be a hexadecenol, whereasA. polaris had a hexadecadienol and a hexadecenol in the proportions 5∶2 as major components.A. balteatus andA. hyperboreus, another species pair as regards their morphology, differed more in their chemical makeup. Both mevalogenins and acetogenins were found in their marking secretions.A. balteatus is unique among all other male bumble bee species analyzed, 29 in total, by having C12- and C14-butyrates in the secretion, which dominated together with tetradecyl acetate and geranylcitronellol. InA. hyperboreus the main marking compounds are an octadecenol and 2,3-dihydro-6-trans-farnesol. This species also contains citronellol and geranylcitronellol.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Entomology, Uppsala University, Box 561, S-751 22, Uppsala, Sweden

    Bo G. Svensson

  2. Department of Ecological Chemistry, Göteborg University, S-400 33, Fack, Göteborg, Sweden

    Gunnar Bergström

  3. Ecological Station of Uppsala University, S-380 60, Farjestaden, Sweden

    Bo G. Svensson & Gunnar Bergström

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  1. Bo G. Svensson
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  2. Gunnar Bergström
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Hymenoptera, Apoidea, Bombinae.

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Svensson, B.G., Bergström, G. Marking pheromones ofAlpinobombus males. J Chem Ecol 5, 603–615 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00987845

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00987845

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