Apidologie 34 (2003) 359-365
DOI: 10.1051/apido:2003027

Secretions of stingless bees: the Dufour glands of some Frieseomelitta species (Apidae, Meliponinae)

Eda Flávia L.R.A. Patricio^a, Leopoldo Cruz López^{b, c}, Roland Maile^b and E. David Morgan<sup>b

a</sup>  Laboratório de Abelhas, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, 05508-900 São Paulo SP, Brasil
^b  Chemical Ecology Group, Lennard-Jones Laboratory, School of Chemistry and Physics, Keele University, Staffs., ST5 5BG, UK
^c  Present address: El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Carretera Antiguo Aeropuerto Km. 2.5, Tapachula, Chiapas, CP 30700, AP 36, Mexico

(Received 14 June 2002; revised 25 November 2002; accepted 12 December 2002)

Abstract
The first recorded analyses of meliponine bee Dufour gland secretions by gas chromatographic-mass spectrometry on three species of Frieseomelitta showed these glands contain a mixture of oxygenated compounds and terpenoids with some hydrocarbons. In F. varia the major substances are eicosenal, 1-eicosenol and 2-pentadecanone. In F. sylvestrii they are pentacosene, nonadecanal and heptacosene. F. silvestrii languida, with the largest glands and the most complex mixture, has geranylfarnesol, followed by 1-tetradecanol and tetradecanal, making it quite different from F. silvestrii.

Key words: Frieseomelitta sylvestrii / Frieseomelitta varia / Frieseomelitta sylvestrii languida / geranylfarnesol

Correspondence and reprints: E. David Morgan
    e-mail: e.d.morgan@keele.ac.uk

© INRA, EDP Sciences, DIB, AGIB 2003