The composition of chemical weaponry of termite soldiers show interspecific and intraspecific variation. However, spatial effects on the qualitative and quantitative compositions of these substances in Neotropical termites are poorly known. Hexane extracts of heads and the defensive secretion of soldiers of Constrictotermes cyphergaster from four localities in Northeast Brazil were analyzed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Chemical analysis allowed the detection of 54 compounds from the head extract and from the direct extraction of the defensive secretion of soldiers, and the percentage of common substances and the presence of exclusive substances varied depending on the spatial distance between colonies. The profile of the chemical armament of soldiers consists basically of terpenoids: monoterpenes (45.53%-71.97 - for head extract and 57.41% - 78.56 for secretion) and sesquiterpenes (19.69% - 35.78% for head extract and 18.41% - 33.31%for secretion). In general, the main component of the chemical arsenal, regardless of the methodology used for extraction, was α-pinene (27.98–50.44%). Two chemotypes were identified based on chemical differences between populations of ecoregions with distinct spatial-environmental and climate characteristics: (1) α-pinene <33%; (2) α-pinene >33% for both extracts (head and secretion). The results reveal a similar pattern of chemical differentiation for soldiers in both extracts (head and secretion), with increasing differences as a function of distance between the analyzed colonies.

白蚁兵的化学武器组成表现出种间和种内变异。然而，对这些物质在新热带白蚁中的定性和定量组成的空间影响知之甚少。头的己烷提取物和Constrictotermes cyphergaster士兵的防御性分泌物来自巴西东北部四个地方的样品通过气相色谱法和质谱法进行了分析。化学分析允许从头部提取物和士兵防御分泌物的直接提取物中检测到 54 种化合物，常见物质的百分比和专属物质的存在取决于菌落之间的空间距离。士兵化学武器的概况基本上由萜类化合物组成：单萜（45.53%-71.97 - 用于头部提取物，57.41% - 78.56 用于分泌物）和倍半萜（19.69% - 35.78% 用于头部提取物，18.41% - 33.31% 用于分泌物） ）。一般来说，无论采用何种提取方法，化学武器库的主要成分都是 α-蒎烯（27.98-50.44%）。根据具有不同空间环境和气候特征的生态区种群之间的化学差异，确定了两种化学型：(1) α-蒎烯 <33%；(2) 两种提取物（头部和分泌物）的 α-蒎烯 >33%。结果揭示了士兵在两种提取物（头部和分泌物）中的化学分化模式相似，差异随着分析菌落之间的距离而增加。