Comparative Antennal Morphometry and Sensilla Organization in the Reproductive and Non-Reproductive Castes of the Formosan Subterranean Termite.

Abstract

Simple SummaryInsects use antennae to perceive the chemical environment, and olfaction (the sense of smell) is essential for a variety of behavioral responses. Termites are social insects that display a division of labor based on an elaborate caste system consisting of reproductive (queen and king) and non-reproductive individuals (workers and soldiers). Whether these castes have different senses of smell is poorly understood. In this study, we characterized the morphology of antennae in alates (winged reproductives), workers, and soldiers in the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus, and further analyzed the diversity and abundance of the antennal sensilla (sensory receptors) in each caste. We found that both female and male alates had longer antennae and greater numbers of sensilla than workers and soldiers, but all castes possessed the same nine types of antennal sensilla. Each type of sensilla had a specific spatial distribution along the antenna. The quantitative composition of sensilla differed between the reproductive and non-reproductive castes, but few differences were found between female and male alates or between worker and soldier castes. These results suggest that the olfactory morphology is associated with the reproductive division of labor in subterranean termites.Antennae are the primary sensory organs in insects, where a variety of sensilla are distributed for the perception of the chemical environment. In eusocial insects, colony function is maintained by a division of labor between reproductive and non-reproductive castes, and chemosensation is essential for regulating their specialized social activities. Several social species in Hymenoptera display caste-specific characteristics in antennal morphology and diversity of sensilla, reflecting their differential tasks. In termites, however, little is known about how the division of labor is associated with chemosensory morphology among castes. Using light and scanning electron microscopy, we performed antennal morphometry and characterized the organization of sensilla in reproductive (female and male alates) and non-reproductive (worker and soldier) castes in the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki. Here, we show that the antennal sensilla in alates are twice as abundant as in workers and soldiers, along with the greater number of antennal segments and antennal length in alates. However, all castes exhibit the same types of antennal sensilla, including basiconicum, campaniformium, capitulum, chaeticum I, chaeticum II, chaeticum III, marginal, trichodeum I, and trichodeum I. The quantitative composition of sensilla diverges between reproductive and non-reproductive castes, but not between female and male alates or between worker and soldier castes. The sensilla display spatial-specific distribution, with basiconicum exclusively and capitulum predominantly found on the ventral side of antennae. In addition, the abundance of chemosensilla increases toward the distal end of antennae in each caste. This research provides morphological signatures of chemosensation and their implications for the division of labor, and suggests future neurophysiological and molecular studies to address the mechanisms of chemical communication in termites.