Behavioral Differentiation and Ovarian Development of Unmated Gynes, Queens, and Workers ofEctatomma vizottoiAlmeida 1987 (Formicidae, Ectatomminae)

Alexsandro Santana Vieira,Wedson Desidério Fernandes,William Fernando Antonialli-Junior

doi:10.1155/2012/349896

Alexsandro Santana Vieira, Wedson Desidério Fernandes + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/349896

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Abstract

Behavioral differentiation and ovarian development of unmated gynes, queens, and workers ofEctatomma vizottoiwere investigated in laboratory conditions. Forty-one behavioral acts were identified and quantified for workers, 19 for queens and 24 for unmated gynes, for an overall species repertoire of 42 different behavioral acts. Ovipositing reproductive eggs was an exclusive task of the queen, whereas workers showed 15 caste-specific behaviors. The most important (frequent) behaviors for the queens were brood care, immobility, and reproduction, and for workers were immobility, grooming/interaction, brood care, and foraging. Unmated gynes (not winged) primarily showed immobility, brood care, grooming/interaction, and foraging. Analysis of ovarian development showed that unmated gynes had little-developed ovarioles, in contrast to queens. Queens and unmated gynes showed a clear behavioral differentiation, in which queens played the role of reproducers and unmated gynes performed activities belonging to the worker repertoire. Despite the presence of several breeding queens in the colony, functional monogyny was the rule.

Highlights

The basic characteristic responsible for the reproductive success of the social insects is the division of labor among the individuals of the colony [1, 2]
Fourteen behavioral acts were observed in this category, which includes the tasks that are mostly performed by the queens, in comparison to unmated gynes and workers (Figure 2, Table 2), for example, “standing on or beside the pile of eggs”, “standing on or beside the pile of larvae”, and “standing on or beside the pile of pupae”
The results showed that only one queen of each colony was inseminated (Figure 3, IIA), and the other queens were confirmed as unmated gynes

Summary

Introduction

The basic characteristic responsible for the reproductive success of the social insects is the division of labor among the individuals of the colony [1, 2]. There is wide variation of behavior among the species of the poneromorph group, ranging from generalist predators that make use of a well-developed sting to dominate their prey, such as the Ponerinae Pachycondyla harpax Fabricius and Ectatomminae Ectatomma ruidum Roger, to others that are more limited in their feeding habits, such as Proceratium Roger, Proceratinae subfamily, which feeds on arthropod eggs, or Leptogenys Roger, Ponerinae subfamily, which feeds on isopods. Others, such as Ectatomma tuberculatum Olivier, add to their diet sweet substances secreted by hemipterans, secretions from the extrafloral nectary, or fallen fruit pulps [9, 10]. The foraging pattern in this group is termed “social facilitation” [1] and is typical of species of small ant colonies such

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