DIFFERENTIAL ADSORPTION OF ALLOSPECIFIC HYDROCARBONS BY THE CUTICLES OF 2 TERMITE SPECIES, RETICULITERMES-SANTONENSIS AND RETICULITERMES-LUCIFUGUS GRASSEI, LIVING IN A MIXED COLONY

When members of the two termite species Reticulitermes santonensis and Reticulitermes lucifugus grassei were placed together, each species a cquired some of the allospecific cuticular products. When living indiv iduals of each of these two species were placed together, their cuticu lar hydrocarbon profiles changed very quickly, since it was within the first two hours of cohabitation that they differed most from those of the corresponding control individuals. After the first two hours, the profiles of the R. santonensis individuals continued to change only v ery little if at all, whereas 24 h later, the process of change contin ued in the R. lucifugus grassei individuals until their profiles resem bled those of the mixed R. santonensis individuals more than their own original profiles. The profiles of the R. I. grassei individuals ther efore underwent a greater change than those of the R. santonensis indi viduals during the period of cohabitation. The fact that similar resul ts were obtained when dead members of these two species were placed to gether suggests that this difference in the adsorption of allospecific hydrocarbon by the cuticles of the members of the two species cannot be attributable to any behavioural differences, but to differences in physico-chemical composition of the cuticles between the two species. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.