Mating flights and sperm transfer in the dwarf honeybee Apis andreniformis (Smith, 1858)

Abstract

Mating flights of 3 virgin queens of Apis andreniformiswere observed at their natural nest- ing site. They initiated mating flights between 12.33 and 12.50 h. The flight duration was between 19 and 23 minutes. The sting chamber of the returning queens contained the orange-colored secretion from the cornual gland of the drone's endophallus. Immediately after the mating flights, the queens were dissected. No sperm was detected in the oviducts, but spermatozoa were found in the sper- mathecae. In 2 queens, the spermathecae contained 0.09 million spermatozoa, which corresponds to about 75% of the sperm of 1 drone. The third queen had 0.31 million spermatozoa. The spermatozoa in the spermatheca were observed to be moving, and formed an undulating thread. These results suggest that sperm is transferred not into the oviducts but directly into the spermatheca (via the sper- maduct). Seven egg-laying queens of unknown age had between 0.33 and 1.26 million spermatozoa in their spermathecae. The mode of sperm transfer is discussed in relation to the number and sequence of the spermatozoa received from each drone in the spermatheca. Apis andreniformis / queen / mating flight / sperm transfer/ spermatozoa count