Summary
O.W. Richards recently discovered an exocrine gland that opens on the fifth (penultimate) sternite of females of many species of polybiine wasps. Recent experimental evidence indicates that this gland produces the trail pheromone used to guide the swarm during emigration to a new nest site. In the present paper we describe the morphology of the gland in four species ofPolybia as seen using light microscopy. The gland cells open via individual ducts onto the surface near the anterior margin of the sternite, where their secretion is evidently stored in a reservoir formed by the intersegmental membrane. The modifications of the sternal cuticle associated with the gland opening, which we examined in 12Polybia species using scanning electron microscopy, are of two types: in five species the gland opens into a transverse groove, while in the other seven the cuticle is raised into erect scales. There is some evidence that the groove type is correlated with larger gland size; there is only a poor correlation with larger body size.
Zusammenfassung
O.W. Richards hat in letzter Zeit eine exocrine Drüse entdeckt, deren Offnung sich am fünften (Penultimal) Sterniten von Weibchen befindet. Diese Insekten gehören zu einer ganzen Zahl von Polybiine Wespen Arten. Wir beschreiben hier die Morphologie einer Drüse, bestimmt durch Licht-Microscopie, in vier Arten vonPolybia. Die Drüsenzellen haben individuelle Offnungen an der Oberfläche des Sterniten, wo ihre Absonderung in einem von der intersegmentalen Membrane Behälter aufgehoben wird.
Die Anderungen in der sternalen Cuticula, wo sich die Drüsenöffnung befindet, wurden in 12Polybia Arten mit dem Elektronen-mikroskop untersucht. Wir fanden 2 Typen von Anderungen: bei 5 Arten öffnet sich die Drüse in eine transverse Rinne, und bei 7 Arten bildet die Cuticula aufrechte Schuppen. Es hat den Anschein daß Drüsen dort grösser sind wo Rinnen vorkommen, obwohl das Insekt an sich nicht grösser ist.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bordas L., 1907.—Les glandes cutanées ou glandes sternales des Vespidæ (Vespa crabro).C.R. Acad. Sci., 102, 978–981.
Bordas L., 1908.—Les glandes cutanées de quelques Vespides.Bull. Soc. Zool. Fr., 33 (344), 59–65.
da Cruz Landim C., Pimenta Sænz M.H., 1972.—Estudo comparativo de algumas glandulas dos Vespoidea.Pap. Avulsos Dep. Zool. Secr. Agric. Ind. Comer. (Sao Paulo),25, 251–263.
Forsyth A.B., 1978.—Studies on the behavioral ecology of polygynous social wasps.Ph.D. Dissertation, Harvard Univ., 226 p.
Hammad S.M., 1965.—Morphology and histology of the scent glands ofVespa orientalis F. andCataglyphis bicolor F. (Hymenoptera).Bull. Soc. Fouad I. Entomol., 49, 133–136.
Hermann H.R., Dirks T.F., 1974.—Sternal glands in polistine wasps: morphology and associated behavior.J. Georgia Entomol. Soc., 9, 1–8.
Heselhaus F., 1922.—Die hautdrüsen der Apiden und verwandter Formen.Zool. Jahrb., Anat. Ontog., 43, 369–464.
Hölldobler B., 1977.—Communication in social Hymenoptera.In:How Animals Communicate, ed. T.A. Sebeok, pp. 418–71, Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana Univ. Press, 1128 p.
Ikan R., Gottlieb R., Bergmann E.D., Ishay J. 1969.—The pheromone of the queen of the oriental hornet,Vespa orientalis.J. Insect Physiol., 15, 1709–1712.
Ishay J., 1972.—Thermoregulatory pheromones in wasps.Experientia., 28, 1185–1187.
Ishay J., 1973.—Thermoregulation by social wasps: behavior and pheromones.Trans. N.Y. Acad. Sci., Ser. II,35, 447–462.
Ishay J., Ikan R., Bergmann E.D., 1965.—The presence of pheromones in the oriental hornet,Vespa orientalis F.J. Insect Physiol., 11, 1307–1309.
Janet C., 1903.—Observations sur les guêpes. C. Naud. Paris, 85 p.
Jeanne R.L. 1970.—Chemical defense of brood by a social wasp.Science, 168, 1465–1466.
Jeanne R.L., 1981.—Chemical communication during swarm emigration in the social waspPolybia sericea (Olivier).Anim. Behav., 29, 102–113.
Kœniger N., 1975.—Experimentelle Untersuchung über das Wärmen der Brut beiVespa crabro undApis mellifica.Verh. Dtsch. Zool. Ges., 1975, 148.
Koschevnikov G.A., 1899.—Zur Kenntnis der Hautdrüsen der Apidæ und Vespidæ.Anat. Anz., 15, 519–528.
Landolt P.J., Akre R.D., 1979a.—Occurrence and location of exocrine glands in some social Vespidæ.Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am., 72, 141–148.
Landolt P.J., Akre R.D., 1979b.—Ultrastructure of the thoracic gland of queens of the western yellowjacketVespula pensylvanica (Hymenoptera: Vespidæ).Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am., 72, 586–590.
Machado V.L.L., Rodrigues V.M., 1975.—Anatomia comparativa das glandulas salivares das diferentes castas deProtopolybia pumila (Saussure, 1863) eProtopolybia exigua exigua (Saussure, 1854) (Hymenoptera-Vespidæ).Rev. Agric. (Piracicaba Braz.),50, 95–102.
Maschwitz U., 1964.—Gefahrenalarmstoffe und Gefahrenalarmierung bei sozialen Hymenopteren.Z. Vgl. Physiol., 47, 596–655.
Naumann M.G., 1975.—Swarming behavior: evidence for communication in social wasps.Science, N.Y.,189, 642–644.
Noirot C., Quennedey A., 1974.—Fine structure of insect epidermal glands.Ann. Rev. Ent., 19, 61–80.
Post D.C., Jeanne R.L., 1981.—Colony defense against ants byPolistes Fuscatus (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in Wisconsin.J. Kansas Entomol. Soc., 54, 599–615.
Richards O.W., 1971.—The biology of the social wasps (Hymenoptera, Vespidæ).Biol. Rev., Cambridge Philos. Soc., 46, 483–528.
Richards O.W., 1978.—The social wasps of the Americas excluding the Vespinœ. London: Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.), 580 p.
Richardson K.C., Jarett L., Finke E.H., 1960.—Embedding in epoxy resins for ultrathin sectioning in electron microscopy.Stain Technol., 35, 313–323.
Spradbery J., 1973.—Wasps. An account of the biology and natural history of solitary and social wasps. Seattle: Univ. Washington Press. 408 p.
Spurr A.R., 1969.—A low viscosity epoxy resin embedding medium for electron microscopy.J. Ultrastruct. Res., 26, 31–423.
Turillazzi S., Ugolini A., 1979.—Rubbing behaviour in some EuropeanPolistes (Hymenoptera: Vespidæ).Monitore Zool. Ital., (N.S.)13, 129–142.
Veith H.J., Kœniger N., 1978.—Identifizierung von cis-9-Pentacosen als Auslöser für das Wärmen der Brut bei der Hornisse.Naturwissenschaften, 65, 263.
West Eberhard M.J., 1977.—The establishment of reproductive dominance in social wasp colonies.Proc. Int. Congr. Int. U. Study Soc. Insects, 8th, Wageningen, pp. 223–227.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Jeanne, R.L., Post, D.C. Richards' gland and associated cuticular modifications in social wasps of the genusPolybia Lepeletier (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Polistinae, Polybiini). Ins. Soc 29, 280–294 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02228757
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02228757