Venom Constituents of Three Species of <i>Crematogaster</i> Ants from Papua New Guinea

Abstract

Fourteen new long-chain derivatives (1j−1l, 2j−2l, 4a−4f, 6, and 7) have been isolated, together with the known 4-oxo-2,5-dienyl acetates 1g−1i and 4-oxo-2,5-dienals 2g−2i, from the defensive secretions of three species of Crematogaster ants from Papua−New Guinea. Their structures have been established by HREIMS and 1H−NMR studies, and by MS−MS analyses of the dimethyl disulfide derivatives 3a−3f, 5a−5f, and 8a−8f. These results, together with those already reported on the three European Crematogaster species, suggest that the production of long-chain electrophilic contact poisons is a characteristic feature of this ant genus.