Abstract
(E)-1-Nitropentadec-1-ene (NPE), the main component of the defense secretion of Prorhinotermes simplex soldiers, is toxic to both insecticide-susceptible (S) as well as to insecticide-resistant (R) strains of the house fly, Musca domestica. The LD50 is 11.7 mu g/female fly for the S strain and 9.7 mu g for the R strain. The same efficacy of NPE on R and S strains indicates a different mechanism of action compared to conventional chlorinated, organophosphorus, and pyrethroid insecticides. Termite nestmates are protected against NPE by a specific detoxification mechanism, 1-Nitropentadecane, the detoxification product of NPE is nearly nontoxic to house flies, and doses up to 160 mu g/fly caused only very low mortality.
