Reproductive Status of Females in the Eusocial Wasp Polistes ferreri Saussure (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

In the subfamily Polistinae, caste dimorphism is not pronounced and differences among females are primarily physiological and behavioral. We investigated factors that indicate the reproductive status in females of Polistes ferreri Saussure. We analyzed females from nine colonies and evaluated morpho...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neotropical entomology 2014-12, Vol.43 (6), p.500-508
Main Authors: Soares, E R P, Torres, V O, Antonialli-Junior, W F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agriculture
Animals
Behavior and Bionomics
Biomedical and Life Sciences
dimorphism
discriminant analysis
Ecology
Entomology
Female
females
Hymenoptera
insemination
Life Sciences
morphometry
oocytes
ovarian development
ovarioles
Polistes
Polistinae
Reproduction
Vespidae
Wasps
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Summary:In the subfamily Polistinae, caste dimorphism is not pronounced and differences among females are primarily physiological and behavioral. We investigated factors that indicate the reproductive status in females of Polistes ferreri Saussure. We analyzed females from nine colonies and evaluated morphometric parameters, ovarian development, occurrence of insemination, relative age, and cuticular chemical profile. The colony females showed three kinds of ovarian development: type A, filamentous ovarioles; type B, ovarioles containing partially developed oocytes; and type C, long and well-developed ovarioles containing two or more mature oocytes. The stepwise discriminant analysis of the cuticular chemical profile showed that it was possible to distinguish the three groups of females: workers 1, workers 2, and queens. However, the stepwise discriminant analysis of the morphological differences did not show significant differences among these groups. The queens were among the older females in the colony and were always inseminated, while the age of the workers varied according to the stage of colony development.
ISSN:1519-566X
1678-8052
DOI:10.1007/s13744-014-0242-9