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Science 26 October 1962:
Vol. 138. no. 3539, pp. 512 - 513
DOI: 10.1126/science.138.3539.512
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Articles

Secretion of Benzaldehyde and Hydrogen Cyanide by the Millipede Pachydesmus crassicutis (Wood)

Murray S. Blum 1 and J. Porter Woodring 1

1 Departments of Entomology and Zoology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge

The millipede Pachydesmus crassicutis (Wood) secretes a mixture of benzaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide when it is disturbed. These compounds are secreted through paired glands located on 11 of the notal projections of adult millipedes. Experiments with the imported fire ant demonstrate that these natural products serve a defensive function.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Defensive Secretions of Arthropods.
T. Eisner and J. Meinwald (1966)
Science 153, 1341-1350
   PDF »
trans-2-Dodecenal and 2-Methyl-1, 4-Quinone Produced by a Millipede.
J. W. Wheeler, J. Meinwald, J. J. Hurst, and T. Eisner (1964)
Science 144, 540-541
   Abstract »    PDF »


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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)