Chemical signals are the main channel of communication in animals especially arthropods. They are used in sexual attraction, aggregation, trail following, recruitment, defense and in many other ways. Since the discovery of the sex pheromone of the silk worm, Bombyx mori in 1959, considerable data on the identification of the chemical signals that govern animal behaviour have been published in the literature. The main objective of The Pherobase is to convert scientific data and knowledge from the literature and publish peer-reviewed information about behavioural modifying chemicals into electronically searchable database entries.

The Pherobase is extensively linked, user-friendly, easy to understand and to follow. Currently, there are over 30000 entries, around 8000 molecules, and over 100000 static php pages that make it the world's largest database of behaviour modifying chemicals. In addition, mass spectral, NMR, synthesis data for more than 2500 compounds are included. We are working very hard to make The Pherobase comprehensive, reliable and as complete as possible.

Access to The Pherobase is free, it is intended for both scientific and non-scientific communities. For scientists, we expect it will aid and accelerates the process of semiochemicals identification and it will provide an overview of the hetero-specific overlap in the chemical signals between different animal groups. For non-scientists, it is an entertainment site to demonstrate different animal groups, and different classes of molecules involved in chemical communication and much more. We hope you enjoy your visit to The Pherobase.

Contributions from scientists will be greatly appreciated and acknowledged. If you want to send your discoveries, report errors, suggestions or any other issue, please email me at: elsayedam at pherobase.com, I will be glad to hear from you.

Ashraf M. El-Sayed