Defensive repertoire of the stingless bee Melipona flavolineata Friese (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Sociobiology

Túlio Marcos Nunes³  Lucas Garcia von Zuben¹  Giorgio Cristino Venturieri²  Luciano Costa² 

[1]Departamento de Biologia, FFCLRP, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil

[2]Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária - Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, Belém, Pará, Brazil.

[3]NPPNS, Departamento de Física e Química, FCFRP, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil

关键词: Meliponini;    pheromones;    mandibular gland;    Lestrimelitta limao;   

DOI  :  

来源: Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Brazil

【 摘 要 】

Despite the fact that Meliponini bee lost their sting apparatus (stingless bees), they did not lose their ability to defend themselves. A variety of defensive strategies is described for the group, such as bitting and resin deposition. Defensive behaviours are usually mediated by chemical communication such as alarm pheromones. This study describe the defensive strategies of the stingless beeMelipona flavolineataFriese 1900 towards known pheromone sources, the head secretions of the robber beeLestrimelitta limaoand the mandibular gland extract of conspecificsM. flavolineataworkers. The pheromones provoked different defensive reactions. The head secretions of the robber bee repelled returning foragers, elicited the enclosing of the nest entrance tube with batumen balls and agglomeration of workers outside of the box. In contrast, the mandibular gland extract elicited aggression towards the pheromone site, transport of resin and generalised agitated flights. The results confirm the mandibular gland as a source of alarm pheromone for this specie and also the chemical triggering of defensive response for the known cleptoparasiteL. limao .

【 授权许可】

Unknown