The Evolution of Tyramides in Male Fungus-Growing Ants (Formicidae: Myrmicinae: Attini: Attina)

Abstract

Ants use a variety of semiochemicals for essential activities and have been a source for many novel natural products. While ant taxa produce a wide variety of chemicals, the chemistry and ecology of male ants has remained understudied. Tyramides are a class of compound that have been found only in males of the Myrmicinae ant subfamily. Tyramides found in the re ant Solenopsis invicta are transferred to gynes during mating where they are converted to tyramine, leading to rapid reproductive development. To further understand the evolution of tyramide production in male ants, we determined the tyramide composition in males of 15 fungus-growing ant species (Formicidae: Myrmicinae: Attini: Attina) and a Megalomyrmex species (Formicidae: Myrmicinae: Solenopsidini). Thirteen tyramides were identi ed, four for the rst time in natural sources, and their percent composition was mapped to the fungus-growing ant phylogeny. This research contributes to an understanding of the evolution of male-produced tyramides.