ABSTRACT
Chemical signals play a central role in the complex communication sytem of ant societies. A number of exocrine glands were identified as anatomical sources for a diversity of pheromones that mediate sexual and social behavior in ants. In several species of the myrmicine genus Atta, a single cluster of glandular cells, the secretory channels of which open close to the sting base, appears to secret a pheromone which apparently is used by the ants as a home range marker. However, several previously unknown exocrine glandular structures have been discovered in ants. The pygidial gland is very common in the Ponerinae where its structural features vary greatly in different species. The greatest variety of sternal glands have been found in the Ponerinae, and only in a few cases have their behavioral function been studied. Experimental evidence obtained with Camponotus ephippium suggests that the secretions of this cloacal gland serves as a group recruitment pheromone.
