Abstract
Insects have been used as an exemplary model in studying longevity, from extrinsic mortality pressures to intrinsic senescence. In the highly eusocial insects, great degrees of variation in lifespan exist between morphological castes in relation to extreme divisions of labour, but of particular interest are the primitively eusocial insects. These species represent the ancestral beginnings of eusociality, in which castes are flexible and based on behaviour rather than morphology. Here we present data on the longevity of the primitively eusocial Neotropical paper wasp P. canadensis, in a captive setting removed of environmental hazards. Captive Polistes canadensis had an average lifespan of 193 ± 10.5 days; although this average is shorter than most bee and ant queens, one individual lived for 506 days in the lab—longer than most recorded wasps and bees. Natal colony variation in longevity does exist between P. canadensis colonies, possibly due to nutritional and genetic factors. This study provides a foundation for future investigations on the effects of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on longevity in primitively eusocial insects, as well as the relationship with natal group and cohort size.
Highlights
Death comes to all, yet many seemingly ordinary insects have evolved some of the most dramatic and extraordinary lifespans, delaying the call of death for remarkable periods (Finch, 1990)
Hypothesis 1: Adult longevity of female P. canadensis will show some positive correlation with the size of the natal group due to nutrition during colony development theory Using the data generated from colonies M1–M7, we were able to quantify variance in longevity between colonies to determine whether colony identity explains variation in wasp longevity better than colony size
Hypothesis 1: Adult longevity of female P. canadensis will show some positive correlation with the size of the natal group Here we found that 57% of adult P. canadensis colonies maintained in the lab can survive beyond 365 days with one individual living for 506 days, providing data on longevity for 143 wasps in total (Fig. 2)
Summary
Death comes to all, yet many seemingly ordinary insects have evolved some of the most dramatic and extraordinary lifespans, delaying the call of death for remarkable periods (Finch, 1990). Variation in insect longevity spans from Ephemera simulans males that live as adults for just 1.6 days (Carey, 2002) to the ants Pogonomyrmex owyheei and Lasius niger whose queens can live up to 30 years (Porter & Jorgensen, 1988; Holldobler & Wilson, 1990). Eusocial insects such as ants, wasps, and bees feature heavily as examples of long-lived insects, but great variation exists between these species and within species and even among genotypes.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
