Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-mlc7c Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T16:19:33.015Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Identification of guanine as an assembly pheromone of ticks

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 September 2011

Dismas A. Otieno ,
A. Hassanali ,
F. D. Obenchain ,
A. Sternberg  and
R. Galun
Dismas A. Otieno
Affiliation:
International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), P.O. Box 30772, Nairobi, Kenya
A. Hassanali
Affiliation:
International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), P.O. Box 30772, Nairobi, Kenya
F. D. Obenchain
Affiliation:
International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), P.O. Box 30772, Nairobi, Kenya
A. Sternberg
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
R. Galun
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
Get access

Abstract

A tick assembly pheromone present in the excretory waste product of the soft tick, Ornithodoros porcinus porcinus (Walton), has been separated by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). It has been identified as guanine on the basis of absorption and mass spectral data, and bioassays using nymphs of Argas persicus (Oken). Guanine was active at a low concentration of 8 × 10 −12 M/cm2 of filter paper. Guanine was shown to induce assembly in Amblyomma cohaerens Donitz larvae and Rhipicephalus appendiculatus Neumann adults.

Various purines and ammonium salts tested in the assembly bioassay, and with exception of adenine, were shown to be active for A. persicus.

Résumé

Un phéromone de rassemblement des tiques présent dans les excréments de la tique, Ornithodoros porcinus porcinus (Walton), a été isolé par chromotographie liquide à haute performance. Il a été identifié comme guanine sur la base de ses valeurs d'absorption et de masse spectrale ainsi que les analyses biologiques utilisant les nymphes de Argos persicus (Oken). La guanine était active à une faible concentration de 8 × 10−12 M/cm2 de papier filtre, et il était démontré qu'elle provoquait le rassemblement chez les larves d'Amblyomma cohaerens Donitz et chez les adultes de Rhipicephalus appendiculatus Neuman.

Différentes purines et sels d'ammonium examinés dans l'analyse du phénomène de rassemblement étaient actifs chez A. persicus à l'exception de l'adenine.

Keywords

ArgasidaeIxodidaeArgas persicusOrnithodoros porcinus porcinusAmblyomma cohaerensRhipicephalus appendiculatustick excretaassembly pheromoneguanineArgasidaeIxodidaeArgos persicusOrnithodoros porcinus porcinusAmblyomma cohaerensRhipicephalus appendiculatusexcréments des tiquesphéromone de rassemblementguanine
Type
Articles
Information
International Journal of Tropical Insect Science , Volume 6 , Issue 6 , December 1985 , pp. 667 - 670
Copyright
Copyright © ICIPE 1985

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Browning, T. S. (1976) The aggregation of questing ticks Rhipicephalus pulchellus, on grass stems, with observation on R. appendiculatus. Physiol. Ent. I, 107–114.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
George, J. E. (1981) The influence of aggregation pheromone on the behaviour of Argas cooleyi and Ornithodoros concanensis (Acari: Ixodoidae: Argasidae). J. med. Ent. 18, 129–133.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goethe, R. and Kraiss, A. (1982) Zur Lokalisation der Pheromonemission and -Perzeption bei Argas (Per-sicargas) Walkerea Kaiser and Hoogstraal. Zentbl. Vet. Med. B. 29, 573–582.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Graf, J. E. (1975) Ecologie et ethologie D'Ixodes ricinus L. en Suisse. Acarologia. 17, 436–441.Google Scholar
Hamdy, B. H. (1972) Biochemical and physiological studies of certain ticks (Ixodidae). Nitrogeneous excretory products of Argas (Persicargas) arboreus (Kaiser, Hoogstraal, and Kohls), and other argasid and ixodid species. J. med. Ent. 9, 346–350.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hamdy, B. H. (1973) Biochemical and physiological studies of certain ticks (Ixodoidae). Cycle of nitrogeneous excretion in Argas (Persicargas) arboreus (Kaiser, Hoogstraal and Kohls) (Argasidae). J. med. Ent. 10, 53–57.Google Scholar
Hamdy, B. H. (1977) Biochemical and physiological studies of certain ticks (Ixodoidae) excretion during ixodid feeding. J. med. Ent. 14, 15–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leahy, M. G. (1979) Pheromones of argasid ticks. In Recent Advances in Acarology (Edited by Rodriguez, J. G.), Vol. II, pp. 279–308. Academic Press, New York.Google Scholar
Leahy, M. G., Vandehey, R. and Galun, R. (1973) Assembly pheromone(s) in the soft tick Argas persicus (Oken). Nature, Lond. 246, 515–517.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leahy, M. G., Karuhize, G. M., Mango, C. and Galun, R. (1975a) An assembly pheromone and its perception in the tick Ornithodoros moubata (Murray) (Acari: Argasidae). J. med. Ent. 12, 284–287.Google Scholar
Leahy, M. G., Sternberg, S., Mango, C. and Galun, R. (1975b) Lack of specificity in assembly pheromones of soft ticks (Acari: Argasidae). J. med. Ent. 12, 413–114.Google Scholar
Petney, T. N. and Bull, C. M. (1981) A non-specific aggregation pheromone in two Australian reptile ticks. Anim. Behav. 29, 181–185.Google Scholar
Thiessen, D. D. (1977) Thermoenergetics and the evolution of pheromone communication. In Progress in Psychobiology and Physiological Psychology (Edited by Sprague, J. M. and Epstein, A. N.), Vol. 7, pp. 91–192. Academic Press, New York.Google Scholar
Treverrow, N. N., Stone, B. F. and Cowie, M. (1977) Aggregation pheromones in two Australian hard ticks Ixodes holcocyclus and Aponomma concolor. Experientia 33, 680–683.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Uspensky, I. V. and Emel'Yonova, O. Yu. (1980) Existence of pheromone associations in ticks of the genus Ixodes. Zool. Zh. 59, 699–704.Google Scholar