title: Age-related  changes in the surface pheromones of the wasp Mischocyttarus consimilis (Hymenoptera:  Vespidae).
abstract: One  of the most important attributes that allowed the evolution and maintenance of  sociality in insects is their ability to distinguish members of their own  colonies. The capacity for individual recognition in social insects is mediated  by chemical signals that are acquired soon after the adult emerges, and vary  according to the tasks performed by individuals in their colonies. We  determined the time when adults of the wasp Mischocyttarus consimilis acquire  the chemical signature of their colonies, as well as the variation in the  cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of the exoskeleton of individuals, according to  their functions in the colony. The method used was Fourier transform infrared  photoacoustic spectroscopy directly on the gaster of each individual. Young  wasps take three to four days to acquire the colony's chemical signature, with  a small change on the fifth day, when the cuticular hydrocarbon profile of the  workers is more similar to that of the queens than that of the males, probably  because they are of the same sex, but primarily because of the similarity of  tasks executed by these two groups of females in the colonies.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Entomologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade, Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados, Dourados, MS, Brasil. erika_snakes@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: E F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Neves
authors.forename: L H C
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Andrade
authors.forename: Y R
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Súarez
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.forename: W F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Antonialli-Junior
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D016002:Discriminant Analysis; D005260:Female; D006608:Hierarchy, Social; D008297:Male; D010675:Pheromones / Q000378:metabolism*; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D014732:Vibration; D014863:Wasps / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D010675:Pheromones