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Science 15 April 1983:
Vol. 220. no. 4594, pp. 335 - 336
DOI: 10.1126/science.220.4594.335
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Articles

Defense in Thrips: Forbidding Fruitiness of a Lactone

DENNIS F. HOWARD 1, MURRAY S. BLUM 1, and HENRY M. FALES 2

1 Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens 30602
2 Laboratory of Chemistry, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20205

Expulsion of anal fluid from the upturned abdomen was demonstrated to serve a defensive function in the thrips Bagnalliella yuccae. An allomone in the anal exudate was identified as ggr-decalactone, a fruity-smelling compound that repelled potential predators. Chemical defenses may contribute to the ability of thrips to maintain large aggregations.

Submitted on October 21, 1982
Revised on December 28, 1982


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