Secretion of venom and dufour glands in the ant Leptogenys diminuta

The venom glands of both workers and ergatoid queens of the ant Leptogenys diminuta contain 4-methyl-3-heptanol and a mixture of esters of this alcoho l and long-chain fatty acids. Only the higher proportion of 4-methyl-3-hept anone in the queens represents a chemical difference between the castes. Th e Dufour gland secretion of workers and queens, however, shows considerable differences. Both share a series of long-chain hydrocarbons with 9- and 7- pentacosene as the major substances of the secretion but are otherwise diff erentiated by the presence in the workers only of three farnesene isomers, whereas queens contain a wide range of substances. The mated queen had a ve ry complex mixture of hydrocarbons, esters and terpenes. These substances w ere also present in the virgin females but in smaller quantities.