Morphological studies on castes of Protopolybia chartergoides (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Epiponini) observed in colonies during male production stage

Revista Brasileira de Entomologia

Giovanna Tocchini Felippotti¹  Fernando Barbosa Noll²  Sidnei Mateus¹ 

[1] ,Universidade de São Paulo Faculdade de Filosofia Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto Departamento de BiologiaRibeirão Preto SP ,Brasil

关键词: Caste differentiation;    Polistinae;    social wasps;    Diferenciação de castas;    Polistinae;    vespas sociais;   

DOI  :  10.1590/S0085-56262007000400015

来源: SciELO

【 摘 要 】

Social wasps are important for the study of social behavior evolution because their colonies present different degrees of caste differentiation, from morphologically similar to highly conspicuous, associated with the occasional presence of intermediate females, which bears developed ovaries but no insemination. In the Polistinae, depending on the taxon, such differentiation can be discreet or conspicuous. This work intended to study morphological and physiological differences between castes in Protopolybia chartergoides by using morphometric analyses associated with multivariate statistical analyses and physiological evaluations from females' ovarian development. Results evidence low morphological and physiological differences among the castes in P. chartergoides, indicating three groups of females: queens, workers and intermediates. In this way, it was possible to suggest that Protopolybia chartergoides presents post-imaginal caste differentiation (or a very subtle form of pre-imaginal determination).

【 授权许可】

CC BY-NC-ND   
 All the contents of this journal, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License