Abstract
The defensive secretions of millipedes have proven to be a rich source of natural products (Weatherston and Percy 1970). Species in the order Polydesmida characteristically produce a defensive exudate which is fortified with benzaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide (Blum and Woodring 1962, Eisner et al. 1963a). We. report here on the secretion of Oxidus gracilis (Koch), one of the 2 species in the polydesmid family Stronglysomidae which are present in North America. Although O. uracilis has been previously demonstrated to produce hydrogen cyanide in its defensive exudate (Eisner et al. 1963a), in our experience, the secretion of this species possesses a distinctly phenolic odor which is not typical of those of other polydesmids which we have examined.
Published Version
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