Abstract
Difference of cuticular hydrocarbon composition among 45 species of ants in Japan was examined using capillary GC and GC-MS. All of the ants examined had competely different hydrocarbon profiles. In the same species, the different colony member had the same hydrocarbons but the relative intensity (Cuticular Hydrocabon Profile; CHP) among them were different. On the contrary, in the same colony, all of the members had almost identical profile. Mechanism for maintaining the uniformity of the CHP among the same colony members was examined and the importance of the presence of the queen was proved.
