The defense secretions of five species of MalaysianNasutitermes,N. longinasus, N. matangensis, N, havilandi, N. johoricus, andNasutitermes species 01, are compared.N. longinasus andN. species 01 provide trinervitene alcohols,N. havilandi mainly tricyclic trinervitene and tetracyclic kempane alcohols and acetates, whereasN. matangensis furnish acetyl/propionyl derivatives of trinervita-11(12),15(17)-dien-3α,9β,13α-triol (XXI and XXII). A new diterpene, assigned as trinervita-11(12),15(17)-dien-3α,13α-diol-3,13-O-diacetate (XVII), is isolated fromN. havilandi. The mono- and diterpenoid compositions, being species-specific, are useful for chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic studies.
Trinervita-1(15),8(19)-dien-2β,3α-diol and the new trinervita-1(15),8(19)-dien-2β, 3α-diol 2-O-acetate constitute the major diterpene constituents of the soldier defense secretions of the NasutitermiteHospitalitermes umbrinus of Malaysian region. Studies on the intraspecific variations on sympatric and allopatric populations indicate two distinct patterns of chemical composition.
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