Estudo comportamental, perfil dos hidrocarbonetos cuticulares e morfologia das glândulas mandibulares e intramandibulares de rainhas de Melipona scutellaris com diferentes idades

• Ano de defesa: 2010
• Autor(a) principal: Souza, Edmilson Amaral de
• Orientador(a): Serrão, José Eduardo
• Banca de defesa: Lima, Eraldo Rodrigues de , Nascimento, Fábio Santos do
• Tipo de documento: Tese
• Tipo de acesso: Acesso aberto
• Idioma: por
• Instituição de defesa: Universidade Federal de Viçosa
• Programa de Pós-Graduação: Doutorado em Biologia Celular e Estrutural
• Departamento: Análises quantitativas e moleculares do Genoma; Biologia das células e dos tecidos
• País: BR
• Palavras-chave em Português: Rainha virgem; Hidrocarbonetos cuticulares; Glândula mandibular; Glândula intramandibular
• Palavras-chave em Inglês: Virgin queens; Cuticular hydrocarbon; Mandibular glands; Intramandibular glands
• Área do conhecimento CNPq: CNPQ::CIENCIAS BIOLOGICAS::BIOLOGIA GERAL
• Link de acesso: http://locus.ufv.br/handle/123456789/244

The virgin queens of Melipona scutellaris, as others species of the genus Melipona, are attacked and killed for workers. As exist few information about recognition of this virgin queens, this work had as purpose to test the hypothesis that the virgin queens of M. scutellaris are identified by workers for the use of chemical signal. For this, the behaviour, the cuticular hydrocarbon profiles and the morphology of the mandiublar and intramandibular glands of the virgin queens was analysed. The virgin queens of M. scutellaris are attacked and killed for workers in average with seven days of age. This attack is antedate by contact of the antenna of the workers in the abdomen of the queens and posterior decapitation. The cuticular hydrocarbon profile is different between virgin queens with different ages and fisogastric queens, as between virgin queens under influence or not of the fisogastric queen. The secretory cells of the mandibular and intramandibular glands of the queens of M. scutellaris showed characteristics that indicate the participation in the lipids metabolism. Considering that the virgin queens are atacked as from seven days of age and on this period they have cuticular hydrocarbon profiles differents of the virgin queens newly-emerged, we suggest that exist a chemical recognition of the virgin queens by workers. Furthermore, the mandibular and intramandibular glands could to participate of the synthesis of compounds that contribute with chemical communication in this bee.