A scientific note on an anomalous diploid individual of Euglossa melanotricha (Apidae, Euglossini) with both female and male phenotypes

Abstract

This note brings, for the first time, findings obtained through both morphological and genetic analyses of a gynander orchid bee (Euglossa melanotricha). For the genetic analysis, microsatellite markers were used to genotype the gynander bee. The morphological analysis revealed that the individual studied had a sting, and most parts of the insect body showed female phenotype, except for the three left legs. As in other reports on gynanders of orchid bees, the specimen of E. melanotricha analyzed herein was included in the category of mixed (or mosaic). From the seven microsatellite loci amplified, five were heterozygous for both male and female tissues, indicating that the organism analyzed is compatible with a diploid organism and not with a hemizygous or haploid one. Both the morphological and genetic characteristics of the gynander of E. melanotricha analyzed reveal that this specimen shows predominantly female characteristics. In parallel, when considering the genetic uniformity of phenotypically different tissues (male and female) of this individual, the gynandromorph of E. melanotricha would be, in fact, an intersex bee.