Epidermal glands in the abdomen of a basal ant Dinoponera lucida (Formicidae: Ponerinae).
The basal ant Dinoponera (Hymenoptera: Ponerinae) has lost the morphologic queen caste so that all females may be potential reproductive individuals, and the nestmate recognition results from cuticular hydrocarbons cues. However, data about the origin of that substance in Ponerinae ants are scarce. This study reports the occurrence of epidermal glands in the abdomen of the ant Dinoponera lucida. In this ant, the epidermis of the abdominal sternites has tall cells with well-developed nucleus contrasting with flattened and collapsed epidermis in the tergites, suggesting a glandular function in the epidermis of the sternites. The possible role of the glandular epidermis in the synthesis of cuticular hydrocarbons for the nestmate recognition is discussed.
Serrão
José Eduardo
JE
Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, 36570-000 Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil. jeserrao@ufv.br
Castro
Rafael Cunha A
RC
Zanuncio
José Cola
JC
Mariano
Cléa Santos Ferreira
CS
Delabie
Jacques Hubert Charles
JH
D000005:Abdomen; D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D004817:Epidermis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D005088:Exocrine Glands / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D005260:Female; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000378:metabolism; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D012724:Sex Attractants / Q000378:metabolism
D006838:Hydrocarbons; D012724:Sex Attractants