title: Epidermal glands in the abdomen of a basal ant Dinoponera lucida (Formicidae: Ponerinae).
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, 36570-000 Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil. jeserrao@ufv.br
authors.forename: José Eduardo
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Serrão
authors.forename: Rafael Cunha A
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.forename: José Cola
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Zanuncio
authors.forename: Cléa Santos Ferreira
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Mariano
authors.forename: Jacques Hubert Charles
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Delabie
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D006838:Hydrocarbons; D012724:Sex Attractants