Antennal glands of the slave-making antPolyergus rufescensand its slave speciesFormica cunicularia(Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

Abstract

The fine morphology of glandular structures associated with the antennae is reported for the first time in a social parasite ant, the obligate slave-maker Polyergus rufescens (Latreille, 1798). In this species, external pores have been detected through scanning electron microscopy only on the scape of the female castes (queen and worker). Each pore is associated internally with a bicellular secretory unit by means of a cuticular duct. The number of secretory cells appears to be higher in queens than in workers. Similar exocrine structures have been found also in workers of Formica cunicularia Latreille, 1798, a common host species of P. rufescens. The possible functional role of this gland is discussed.