title: Morphometric Identification of Queens, Workers and Intermediates in In Vitro Reared Honey Bees (Apis mellifera).
abstract: In vitro rearing is an important and useful tool for honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) studies. However, it often results in intercastes between queens and workers, which are normally are not seen in hive-reared bees, except when larvae older than three days are grafted for queen rearing. Morphological classification (queen versus worker or intercastes) of bees produced by this method can be subjective and generally depends on size differences. Here, we propose an alternative method for caste classification of female honey bees reared in vitro, based on weight at emergence, ovariole number, spermatheca size and size and shape, and features of the head, mandible and basitarsus. Morphological measurements were made with both traditional morphometric and geometric morphometrics techniques. The classifications were performed by principal component analysis, using naturally developed queens and workers as controls. First, the analysis included all the characters. Subsequently, a new analysis was made without the information about ovariole number and spermatheca size. Geometric morphometrics was less dependent on ovariole number and spermatheca information for caste and intercaste identification. This is useful, since acquiring information concerning these reproductive structures requires time-consuming dissection and they are not accessible when abdomens have been removed for molecular assays or in dried specimens. Additionally, geometric morphometrics divided intercastes into more discrete phenotype subsets. We conclude that morphometric geometrics are superior to traditional morphometrics techniques for identification and classification of honey bee castes and intermediates.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Genética, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Daiana A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: De Souza
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America.
authors.forename: Osman
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kaftanoglu
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Genética, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: De Jong
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America; Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Aas, Norway.
authors.forename: Gro V
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Amdam
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil; Universidade Federal do Semi-árido, Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lionel S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Genética, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil; Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Tiago M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Francoy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001516:Bees / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005260:Female; D006608:Hierarchy, Social; D006722:Honey; D025341:Principal Component Analysis