Hexadecanol and hexadecyl formate in the venom gland of formicine ants

Abstract

The venom apparatus of workers of five representative species of formicine ant, Anoplolepis custodiens , Camponotus vagus, Formica polyctena, Lasius niger and Polyrhachis gagates , have all been shown to contain a mixture of hexadecanol, its formate and acetate, unaccompanied by homologous compounds. These compounds are not found in venom or in the venom reservoir but in the convoluted gland. It is suggested that the gland is lined with hexadecanol and its esters to protect the tissue from the corrosive venom.