A multidisciplinary approach to discriminating different taxa in the species complex Pachycondyla villosa (Formicidae)

Lucas, Christophe; Fresneau, Dominique; Kolmer, Kerstin; Heınze, Jürgen; Delabie, Jacques Hubert Charles; Pho, Dang Ba

doi:10.1046/j.1095-8312.2002.00017.x

Cited by 48 publications

(66 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Lucas et al, 2002) belong to the subfamily Ponerinae. Colonies were collected in the field from knot-holes and rotten cocoa pods in an experimental cocoa plantation at Centro de Pesquisas do Cacau, CEPLAC, Itabuna, Bahia, Brazil in 2001 and 2002.…”

Section: Ant Collecting and Housingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does she smell like a queen? Chemoreception of a cuticular hydrocarbon signal in the ant Pachycondyla inversa

d’Ettorre

Heınze

Schulz

et al. 2004

Journal of Experimental Biology

124

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Primitive ant societies, with their relatively simple social structure, provide an opportunity to explore the evolution of chemical communication, in particular of mechanisms underlying within-colony discrimination. In the same colony, slight differences in individual odours can be the basis for discrimination between different castes, classes of age and social status. There is some evidence from correlative studies that such inter-individual variation is associated with differences in reproductive status, but direct proof that certain chemical compounds are detected and recognized by ants is still lacking. In the ponerine ant Pachycondyla inversa, fertile queens and, in orphaned colonies, dominant egg-laying workers are characterized by the predominance of a branched hydrocarbon, 3,11-dimethylheptacosane (3,11-diMeC 27) on the cuticle. Using electroanntennography and gas chromatography with electroantennographic detection, we show that the antennae of P. inversa workers react to this key compound. 3,11-diMeC27 is correlated with ovarian activity and, because it is detected, is likely to assume the role of a fertility signal reflecting the quality of the sender.

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Section: Ant Collecting and Housingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does she smell like a queen? Chemoreception of a cuticular hydrocarbon signal in the ant Pachycondyla inversa

d’Ettorre

Heınze

Schulz

et al. 2004

Journal of Experimental Biology

124

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“…Within species, populations may have divergent hydrocarbon profiles (Nowbahari et al, 1990;Dahbi et al, 1996;Akino et al, 2002;Evison et al, 2012) or they may be relatively invariable across large geographic areas (Martin et al, 2008b). Between species, however, hydrocarbon profiles are consistently different, and divergent profiles have been successfully used to delineate closely related species (Lucas et al, 2002;Evison et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A conserved fertility signal despite population variation in the cuticular chemical phenotype of the trap-jaw antOdontomachus brunneus

Smith

Millar

Hanks

et al. 2013

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYContact pheromones in the form of cuticular hydrocarbons are widespread among insects. Eusocial insects present a special challenge for understanding the evolution of the cuticular hydrocarbon profile because this blend is responsible for multiple distinct roles such as nestmate recognition and signalling fertility status. This study investigates these two signalling roles of the hydrocarbon profile in the trap-jaw ant Odontomachus brunneus. We demonstrate that the cuticular hydrocarbon profile is highly variable across populations and provide evidence that these differences are used for nestmate discrimination. Through manipulative experiments we also show that (Z)-9-nonacosene (Z9:C 29 ) is used as a fertility signal and its role is conserved across populations. Our data demonstrate that both fertility and nestmate signalling influence the cuticular hydrocarbon profile and specifically the relative abundance of Z9:C 29 on the cuticle of O. brunneus. Our study suggests that natural selection works on the cuticular chemical profile through multiple regulatory pathways, diversifying nestmate signals while conserving fertility signals.

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“…Cuticular hydrocarbons proved useful in separating between similar species in other difficult groups of ants [8,9], and the profiles of cuticular hydrocarbons of some Solenopsis species have already been determined [10][11][12][13]. The use of relative amounts of venom alkaloids-currently credited to be species specific-has also been proposed [8,14].…”

Section: Psychementioning

confidence: 99%

Intraspecific and Intracolonial Variation in the Profile of Venom Alkaloids and Cuticular Hydrocarbons of the Fire AntSolenopsis saevissimaSmith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Fox

Pianaro

Solis

et al. 2012

Psyche: A Journal of Entomology

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Fire ants are aggressive Neotropical ants that are extensively similar in general biology and morphology, making species identification difficult. Some fire ant species are top-rated pests spreading throughout the world by trade vessels. Many researchers attempted to sort between invasive and native species by using chemical characters, including patterns of venom alkaloids. The present study is the first to report intraspecific variation in some chemical characters, namely, cuticular hydrocarbons and venom alkaloids, within the Brazilian fire ant species Solenopsis saevissima and also reports on within-nest variations among members of different castes. Two different haplotypes (cryptic species) of S. saevissima were clearly identified, one presenting a predominant combination of the venom alkaloids cis-and trans-2-methyl-6-undecylpiperidine with the cuticular hydrocarbons C 23 , 3-Me-C 23 , 10-C 25 : 1 , C 25 , and 3-Me-C 25 , and the other a predominant combination of cis-and trans-2-methyl-6-tridecenylpiperidine with predominance of 12-C 25 : 1 , C 25 , 11-Me-C 25 , 3-Me-C 25 , 13-C 27 : 1 , C 27 , and 13-Me-C 27 . Intranest variations revealed that the proportions among these compounds varied sensibly among workers of different sizes, gynes, and males (no alkaloids were detected in the latter). Larva contained vestiges of the same compounds. The recorded chemical profiles are quite different from previous reports with S. saevissima samples from São Paulo. The finds thus support other recent claims that S. saevissima includes cryptic species; the study, moreover, adds the find that they can occur in the same geographical location.

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A multidisciplinary approach to discriminating different taxa in the species complex Pachycondyla villosa (Formicidae)

Cited by 48 publications

References 47 publications

Does she smell like a queen? Chemoreception of a cuticular hydrocarbon signal in the ant Pachycondyla inversa

Does she smell like a queen? Chemoreception of a cuticular hydrocarbon signal in the ant Pachycondyla inversa

A conserved fertility signal despite population variation in the cuticular chemical phenotype of the trap-jaw antOdontomachus brunneus

Intraspecific and Intracolonial Variation in the Profile of Venom Alkaloids and Cuticular Hydrocarbons of the Fire AntSolenopsis saevissimaSmith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

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