1977/02/25 by Bert Hölldobler, Caryl P. Haskins · 73 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Psychology · #Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior #Plant and animal studies #Fossil Insects in Amber #Subfamily #Biology #Chemical communication #ANT #Sex pheromone #Pheromone #Hymenoptera #Zoology #Sexual behavior #Scent gland #Evolutionary biology #Anatomy #Ecology #Psychology #Genetics #Social psychology #Gene
paper · doi:10.1126/science.836590
published in Science 195(4280), 793-794 (American Association for the Advancement of Science)
openalex publication_date 1977/02/25 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23
The wingless virgin females of the ponerine ant Rhytidoponera metallica attract males by the release of a pheromone from the tergal gland, a hitherto unrecognized exocrine gland located between the last two abdominal segments. This is the first evidence for sexual chemical communication in the large and primitive subfamily Ponerinae.