Lipid Storage by Honey Ant1 Repletes2

743 lipid as glycerol and cholesterol esters associated with sugar solutions containing glucose, fructose, and maltose. nic,vicanus were observed in z'izo to contain two clistinct liquid phases (Fig. 1). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The single phase aqueous layers from both species proved to he typical dilute honey solutions. Silyl ethers of the sugars were determined by gas chromatography on OV-17 at 1 lO°-275°. The proportions of the sugars were as follows : fructose 47-49%, glucose 424%, and maltose 7-8%. Small amounts of phosphorus (0.04-0.08%, inorganic only) were present in the honey from each species. No observable protein was precipitated from the honeys by trichioracetic acid, although sonic color was dieveloped by treatment with Folin Cicocalteau reagent (Chavkin 1966). The hi-layer material stored by M. fllC.IiCanUS and the single phase honey of M. mimicus were extracted with hexane. There was no residue from the hexane layer of the crop contents of it!. miniicus. Hexane extraction of the itt. nle.ricanus yielded a light yellow. odorless oil. Thin layer chromatography on silica gel indicated a major proportion of triglyceride and small aniounts of cholesterol and its esters. The saponification nuniher of the oil was 171. Nc) free acid was present nor was phosphorus detected. Gas chroniatographic analysis I Hadorn and Zurcher 1970) of methyl esters prepared from the oil gave the restilts shown in Table 1. The findingof palmitic acid as the only major saturated component and the 18-carbon unsaturates in large proportion supports the idea that M. mcxi-