Species and Sex Specificity in the Odour Composition of Two Panurgine Bees (Hymenoptera, Andrenidae)

From the volatile constituents of the solitary bee species Panurgus banksianus Kirby and P. calcaratus Scopuli 31 compounds could be identified. The cephalic secretion of P. banksianus is a sex specific m ulticomponent mixture of terpenes and aliphatic carboxylic acid esters while P. calcaratus contains monoterpenes only. The major component in the Dufour’s gland secretion of P. banksianus is a macrocyclic lactone, eicosanolide, which is absent in P. calcaratus. In contrast, the new terpenoid ester, geranyl citronellate, is present in large amounts in the Dufour’s gland secretion of P. calcaratus.