Abstract
Trypargilum is a subgenus of solitary spider-hunting wasps whose males guard the nest, an unusual behaviour for male wasps. A male pairs with a female and copulates repeatedly with her during the nesting process, although females regularly copulate with satellite males, which employ an alternative reproductive strategy. The purpose of this paper was to determine the sociogenetic structure in twenty-nine nests of Trypoxylon albitarse sampled at six sites in Brazil. A total of 367 wasps were genotyped for eight species-specific polymorphic microsatellite loci. Genotypic segregation analyses were conducted to test whether the nests sampled were monogamic family groups. The results indicated that all the offspring in 12 of the 29 nests could be attributed to a single couple (genetic monogamy). Approximately 9% of the offspring probably resulted from extra-pair copulations and 3% of the total offspring were attributed to a second mother (usurpation by conspecific females, a form of intraspecific parasitism). The sequential replacement of parents throughout the nesting process indicates that the 29 nests analyzed included 35 family groups. Thus, our findings indicate that Trypoxylon albitarse has a predominantly monogamous genetic mating system, despite the social polygamy reported in previous studies.
Highlights
Trypoxylon is a diverse genus of solitary wasps of the family Crabronidae (Hymenoptera) whose females display parental care during the construction and provisioning of nests in which their offspring develop to the adult stage (Coville, 1982)
Despite the formation of breeding couples that remain together throughout the nesting process, previous behavioral studies have revealed a complex mating system in species of Trypargilum, including alternative reproduc tive tactics, in which satellite males remain close to active nests and persistently attempt to mate with females already assisted by a different male (Coville & Coville, 1980; Brockmann & Grafen, 1989; Amarante, 1991; Buschini & Donatti, 2012)
The social polygamy reported by this author is corroborated by the present genetic analyses, but the low proportion of daughters originating from extra-pair copulations (9%) indicates that the genetic mating system of T. albitarse is predominantly monogamous as the guard male fathered the female brood in the four nests whose guarding male was analyzed
Summary
Trypoxylon is a diverse genus of solitary wasps of the family Crabronidae (Hymenoptera) whose females display parental care during the construction and provisioning of nests in which their offspring develop to the adult stage (Coville, 1982). Like other species of the Albitarse Group, females build mud tubes that have a rough appearance due to the way the mud is applied in the form of inverted V-shaped rows (Fig. 1) These nests usu ally are built on vertical surfaces sheltered from rain with the entrance facing the ground; they are often found on the walls of man-made constructions located near parks and forests (Amarante, 1991). Details of the nesting biology of this species can be found in Brunch (1932), Rau (1933), Fritz & Genise (1980) and Amarante (1991)
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