Correlation between mandibular gland secretion and cuticular hydrocarbons in the stingless bee Melipona quadrifasciata

Cruz-Landim, Carminda da; Ferreira-Caliman, M. J.; Gracioli‐Vitti, Luciana Fioretti; Zucchi, Ronaldo

doi:10.4238/2012.april.19.2

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Despite these differences, we found a common pattern between the two colonies: CHC profiles of guards differ from foragers and nest bees. As we mentioned above, we found similar amounts of branched alkanes between both types of guard bees, and higher than foragers and nest bees; thus, these compounds would not only be involved in subcastes recognition, but also they could play a potential role in nestmate recognition, as was described in M. marginata , M. quadrifasciata , and M. bicolor , in which CHC profiles varied between castes, according to the task group they belonged to (Abdalla et al 2003;Ferreira-Caliman et al 2010;Cruz-Landim et al 2012;Borges et al 2012). In addition, hovering guards presented higher amounts of linear alkanes than nest bees.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 65%

Characterization of cuticular hydrocarbons according to colony duties in the stingless bee Tetragonisca angustula

2017

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In social insects, task-related recognition plays an important role in the coordination and cohesion between members of the colony. Tetragonisca angustula is an eusocial stingless bee that presents a sophisticated system of defense involving two complementary groups of guards: hovering and standing guards. We identified, quantified, and compared the cuticular compounds of worker bees captured within the nest, and bees performing tasks outside: foragers and guards. In addition to cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs), we identified abundant di-and triterpenes. Among the CHCs, we found a mixture of n-alkanes, methyl-branched alkanes, alkenes, and alkadienes. Significant differences in the relative abundance of CHCs between behavioral groups were found. Particularly, guards present high amounts of branched alkanes relative to nest bees and foragers. Differential CHC profiles associated with behavioral groups could imply a mechanism for caste recognition.stingless bees / Tetragonisca angustula / cuticular hydrocarbons / task-related recognition

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 65%

Characterization of cuticular hydrocarbons according to colony duties in the stingless bee Tetragonisca angustula

2017

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“…In this study the MG contained a range of hydrocarbons in newly emerged bees that became reduced to only n -pentacosane and n -heptacosane as the bees aged, with tritriacontene (C 33:1 ) appearing in the nurses (Table 1 ). However, in the stingless bee Melipona quadrifasciata, n -alkanes and alkenes found in the MG persist throughout the entire adult life and are similar to the adults CHCs (Cruz-Landim et al 2012 ). Therefore, the functions of the CSG and MG may be interchangeable in different genera of bees.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is the Salivary Gland Associated with Honey Bee Recognition Compounds in Worker Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)?

et al. 2018

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Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) function as recognition compounds with the best evidence coming from social insects such as ants and honey bees. The major exocrine gland involved in hydrocarbon storage in ants is the post-pharyngeal gland (PPG) in the head. It is still not clearly understood where CHCs are stored in the honey bee. The aim of this study was to investigate the hydrocarbons and esters found in five major worker honey bee (Apis mellifera) exocrine glands, at three different developmental stages (newly emerged, nurse, and forager) using a high temperature GC analysis. We found the hypopharyngeal gland contained no hydrocarbons nor esters, and the thoracic salivary and mandibular glands only contained trace amounts of n-alkanes. However, the cephalic salivary gland (CSG) contained the greatest number and highest quantity of hydrocarbons relative to the five other glands with many of the hydrocarbons also found in the Dufour’s gland, but at much lower levels. We discovered a series of oleic acid wax esters that lay beyond the detection of standard GC columns. As a bee’s activities changed, as it ages, the types of compounds detected in the CSG also changed. For example, newly emerged bees have predominately C19-C23n-alkanes, alkenes and methyl-branched compounds, whereas the nurses’ CSG had predominately C31:1 and C33:1 alkene isomers, which are replaced by a series of oleic acid wax esters in foragers. These changes in the CSG were mirrored by corresponding changes in the adults’ CHCs profile. This indicates that the CSG may have a parallel function to the PPG found in ants acting as a major storage gland of CHCs. As the CSG duct opens into the buccal cavity the hydrocarbons can be worked into the comb wax and could help explain the role of comb wax in nestmate recognition experiments.

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“…The chemical composition of the mandibular gland secretions of Melipona quadrifasciata workers has been determined by a combination of gas cromatography and mass spectrometry. Diverse hydrocarbon molecules were identified in the secretions of newly emerged workers, nurse bees and foragers of this species (Cruz Landim et al 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Comparative morphology of the head glands in species of Protepeolini and Emphorini (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Galvani¹,

Settembrini²

2013

Apidologie

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International audienceThe tribe Protepeolini is formed by parasitic bees with Leiopodus being the only genus of the tribe. Protepeolini bees parasitize the nests of members of the tribe Emphorini. Secretions of the head glands are important to the biology of bees as they may act as chemical signals in parasitism strategies. In this paper, we describe the morphology and histoarchitecture of head glands in three Protepeolini species and compare them with those of their Emphorini hosts. Mandibular and hypopharingeal glands were identified , but no head salivary glands were observed. Only parasitic species displayed sexual dimorphism in the morphology of mandibular glands, with males showing well-developed secretory portions and a characteristic organization of the secretory tissue which was previously unknown in bees. The possible role of mandibular head glands is discussed in relationship to behavioral parameters of Leiopodus

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Correlation between mandibular gland secretion and cuticular hydrocarbons in the stingless bee Melipona quadrifasciata

Cited by 6 publications

References 42 publications

Characterization of cuticular hydrocarbons according to colony duties in the stingless bee Tetragonisca angustula

Characterization of cuticular hydrocarbons according to colony duties in the stingless bee Tetragonisca angustula

Is the Salivary Gland Associated with Honey Bee Recognition Compounds in Worker Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)?

Comparative morphology of the head glands in species of Protepeolini and Emphorini (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

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