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Bio-Ethology of Vespa crabro in Sardinia (Italy), an Area of New Introduction. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:biology11040518. [PMID: 35453717 PMCID: PMC9029727 DOI: 10.3390/biology11040518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary Alien insects, including hornets, may show invasive traits in non-native areas, thus threatening the ecological balance of natural and agro-ecosystems. The European hornet, Vespa crabro, is an omnivorous eusocial insect predator of many arthropods, including honey bees. It is native to Eurasia and established in Sardinia (Italy) in 2010, where it is an alien species. Vespa crabro does not represent a danger for beekeeping in its native area, although the potential environmental impacts in non-native areas are unknown. In view of the lack of such studies, this research investigated the potential invasive traits of V. crabro in an area of new introduction, with special regard to predatory activity against honey bees. Observations of hornet foraging behaviour in open fields highlighted a prevalent foraging activity on fruits and no preference for bees compared to other recognizable arthropods. Furthermore, behavioural and predatory observations of V. crabro near apiaries showed that foragers returned to nests carrying preys in 1% of cases. Vespa crabro did not show invasive traits nor notable behavioural changes in a non-native compared to its native area, as the hornet was confirmed to be a mild predator of honey bees. Therefore, the European hornet is not likely to represent a threat to beekeeping in Sardinia. Abstract Vespa crabro, also known as European hornet, is a eusocial Vespidae originally from Eurasia that was accidentally introduced on the island of Sardinia (Italy) in 2010. Currently, its distribution is limited to the northern area of the island. Considering that a non-harmful species in its native region can exhibit invasive behaviour when established in new environments, bio-ethological observations were conducted to better understand whether V. crabro could show invasive traits in Sardinia, which represents a new introduction area. Data on the foraging activity of the European hornet in open fields were collected within a citizen science monitoring program carried out in Sardinia from 2018 to 2020. Moreover, specific behavioural observations were made in apiaries to assess the predatory activity of the hornet towards honey bees and at the entrance of free-living European hornet colonies to evaluate other aspects of its behaviour, i.e., intranidal and extranidal tasks. The results of our study are discussed in relation to the behavioural traits known for this species in its native areas to place the behavioural repertoire of V. crabro in Sardinia into a wider context. Our observations revealed that V. crabro did not show any changes in behavioural traits in Sardinia compared to those described in its area of origin, so the risk of becoming an invasive species on this island seems unlikely.
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The Importance of Methyl-Branched Cuticular Hydrocarbons for Successful Host Recognition by the Larval Ectoparasitoid Holepyris sylvanidis. J Chem Ecol 2020; 46:1032-1046. [PMID: 33123870 PMCID: PMC7677283 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-020-01227-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) of host insects are used by many parasitic wasps as contact kairomones for host location and recognition. As the chemical composition of CHCs varies from species to species, the CHC pattern represents a reliable indicator for parasitoids to discriminate host from non-host species. Holepyris sylvanidis is an ectoparasitoid of beetle larvae infesting stored products. Previous studies demonstrated that the larval CHC profile of the confused flour beetle, Tribolium confusum, comprises long chain linear and methyl-branched alkanes (methyl alkanes), which elicit trail following and host recognition in H. sylvanidis. Here we addressed the question, whether different behavioral responses of this parasitoid species to larvae of other beetle species are due to differences in the larval CHC pattern. Our study revealed that H. sylvanidis recognizes and accepts larvae of T. confusum, T. castaneum and T. destructor as hosts, whereas larvae of Oryzaephilus surinamensis were rejected. However, the latter species became attractive after applying a sample of T. confusum larval CHCs to solvent extracted larvae. Chemical analyses of the larval extracts revealed that CHC profiles of the Tribolium species were similar in their composition, while that of O. surinamensis differed qualitatively and quantitatively, i.e. methyl alkanes were present as minor components on the cuticle of all Tribolium larvae, but were absent in the O. surinamensis CHC profile. Furthermore, the parasitoid successfully recognized solvent extracted T. confusum larvae as hosts after they had been treated with a fraction of methyl alkanes. Our results show that methyl alkanes are needed for host recognition by H. sylvanidis.
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Cappa F, Cini A, Pepiciello I, Petrocelli I, Inghilesi AF, Anfora G, Dani FR, Bortolotti L, Wen P, Cervo R. Female volatiles as sex attractants in the invasive population of Vespa velutina nigrithorax. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2019; 119:103952. [PMID: 31568763 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2019.103952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2019] [Revised: 09/18/2019] [Accepted: 09/26/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Due to its huge invasion potential and specialization in honeybee predation, the invasive hornet Vespa velutina nigrithorax represents a high-concern species under both an ecological and economical perspective. In light of the development of specific odorant attractants to be used in sustainable control strategies, we carried out both behavioural assays and chemical analyses to investigate the possibility that, in the invasive population of V. velutina nigrithorax, reproductive females emit volatile pheromones to attract males, as demonstrated in a Chinese non-invasive population. We focused on the secretions produced by sternal and venom glands; because of the volatility and complexity of their composition, both of them could potentially allow an attraction and a species-specific response, decreasing therefore non-target species by-catches. Results of chemical analyses and behavioural assays showed that venom volatiles, although population-specific, are unlikely candidates as male attractants since they do not differ in composition or in quantity between reproductive females and workers and do not attract males. Conversely, sternal gland secretion differs between female castes for the presence of some ketoacids exclusive of gynes already reported as sex pheromones for the non-invasive subspecies V. velutina auraria. Despite such a difference, males are attracted by the sternal gland secretion of both workers and gynes. These results provide a first step to understand the reproductive biology of V. velutina nigrithorax in its invasive range and to develop effective and sustainable management strategies for the species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Cappa
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Firenze, Via Madonna del Piano, 50019 Sesto F.no (Firenze), Italy.
| | - A Cini
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Firenze, Via Madonna del Piano, 50019 Sesto F.no (Firenze), Italy; Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - I Pepiciello
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Firenze, Via Madonna del Piano, 50019 Sesto F.no (Firenze), Italy
| | - I Petrocelli
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Firenze, Via Madonna del Piano, 50019 Sesto F.no (Firenze), Italy
| | - A F Inghilesi
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Firenze, Via Madonna del Piano, 50019 Sesto F.no (Firenze), Italy
| | - G Anfora
- Center Agriculture Food Environment (C3A), Università di Trento, Via E. Mach 1, 38010 San Michele a/A, Trento, Italy; Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via E. Mach 1, 38010 San Michele a/A, Trento, Italy
| | - F R Dani
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Firenze, Via Madonna del Piano, 50019 Sesto F.no (Firenze), Italy
| | - L Bortolotti
- CREA - Centro di ricerca Agricoltura e Ambiente, Unità di ricerca di apicoltura e bachicoltura (API), Via di Saliceto 80, 40128 Bologna, Italy
| | - P Wen
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Science, Qinsong Road 21, Panlong, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China
| | - R Cervo
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Firenze, Via Madonna del Piano, 50019 Sesto F.no (Firenze), Italy
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Cappa F, Cini A, Pepiciello I, Petrocelli I, Cervo R. Female body size, weight and fat storage rather than nestmateship determine male attraction in the invasive yellow-legged hornet Vespa velutina nigrithorax. ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2018.1501437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Federico Cappa
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Florence),
| | - Alessandro Cini
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Florence),
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Irene Pepiciello
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Florence),
| | - Iacopo Petrocelli
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Florence),
| | - Rita Cervo
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Florence),
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Poidatz J, Bressac C, Bonnard O, Thiéry D. Comparison of reproductive traits of foundresses in a native and an invasive hornet in Europe. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2018; 109:93-99. [PMID: 30006107 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2018.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2017] [Revised: 06/22/2018] [Accepted: 07/09/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The population dynamics of annual social hymenoptera such as vespids depend largely on the fertility of the foundresses, which, in turn, is a key factor in the context of biological invasions. The native European hornet Vespa crabro (Vc) and the invasive Asian hornet Vespa velutina (Vv) have generally similar ecological traits, e.g. nesting and feeding habits, although they differ in colony size, which is higher in Vv. Furthermore, in contrast to Vc, Vv is more specialized in its predatory habits, intensively hunting honey bees at the hive. Comparing the morphological and reproductive traits of two closely related species occupying the same ecological niche, one of which is a native species and the other an alien, can help us to gain an understanding of the invasion process. To this end, we here compare reproductive (ovarian size and maturation, fat level, spermatheca size and sperm stock, fecundity) and morphological traits (head size, weight) of the foundresses of these two hornet species. We observed that ovarian maturation began approximately one month earlier in Vv than in Vc, and that the fat level in the former was lower. We found twice the number of sperm in the mated foundresses of Vv than in those of Vc (more than 100 × 103 and less than 50 × 103 sperm, respectively), in a 16% smaller spermatheca in Vc. Furthermore, the sperm of Vv was found to be 65% shorter than that of Vc. The precocity and higher potential fecundity of Vv queens may have favoured this species over Vc in terms of predatory behaviour, and thereby contributed to its invasiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliette Poidatz
- INRA, UMR1065 Santé et Agroécologie du Vignoble, F-33883 Villenave d'Ornon, France; ISVV, UMR1065 Santé et Agroécologie du Vignoble, Bordeaux Sciences Agro, Université de Bordeaux, F-33883 Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | | | - Olivier Bonnard
- INRA, UMR1065 Santé et Agroécologie du Vignoble, F-33883 Villenave d'Ornon, France; ISVV, UMR1065 Santé et Agroécologie du Vignoble, Bordeaux Sciences Agro, Université de Bordeaux, F-33883 Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Denis Thiéry
- INRA, UMR1065 Santé et Agroécologie du Vignoble, F-33883 Villenave d'Ornon, France; ISVV, UMR1065 Santé et Agroécologie du Vignoble, Bordeaux Sciences Agro, Université de Bordeaux, F-33883 Villenave d'Ornon, France.
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Poidatz J, Bressac C, Bonnard O, Thiéry D. Delayed sexual maturity in males of Vespa velutina. INSECT SCIENCE 2018; 25:679-689. [PMID: 28248003 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2016] [Revised: 01/03/2017] [Accepted: 01/24/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Vespa velutina var nigrithorax (Lepelletier, 1835) is an invasive predator of bees accidentally introduced in France in 2004, and it is having a serious impact on apiculture and ecosystems. Studying the reproduction of an invasive species is key to assess its population dynamic. This study explores the sexual maturation of V. velutina males and the evolution of their fertility. The main studied parameters were physiologic (spermiogenesis, spermatogenesis) and anatomic (testes size and structure, head width). Two populations of males were described based on their emergence period: early males in early summer or classic males in autumn. Each testis has an average of 108 testicular follicles. Spermatogenesis is synchronous, with only 1 sperm production wave, and completed, on average, at 10.3 d after emergence with the degeneration of the testes. The sperm counts in seminal vesicles of mature males are 3 × 106 in October/November and 0.8 × 106 in June. In comparison, females store 0.1 × 106 sperm in their spermathecae. The early males emerged from colonies made by fertilized queens. The reproductive potential of these early males seemed limited, and their function in the colony is discussed. The sperm stock evolution in autumn males suggests the occurrence of a reproductive pattern of male competition for the access to females and a single copulation per male. The synchronicity of male and foundress emergences and sexual maturation is of primary importance for the mating success and the future colony development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliette Poidatz
- INRA, UMR1065 Santé et Agroécologie du Vignoble, ISVV, Bordeaux Sciences Agro, Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | | | - Olivier Bonnard
- INRA, UMR1065 Santé et Agroécologie du Vignoble, ISVV, Bordeaux Sciences Agro, Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Denis Thiéry
- INRA, UMR1065 Santé et Agroécologie du Vignoble, ISVV, Bordeaux Sciences Agro, Villenave d'Ornon, France
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Wen P, Cheng YN, Dong SH, Wang ZW, Tan K, Nieh JC. The sex pheromone of a globally invasive honey bee predator, the Asian eusocial hornet, Vespa velutina. Sci Rep 2017; 7:12956. [PMID: 29021562 PMCID: PMC5636794 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-13509-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2017] [Accepted: 09/26/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The Asian hornet, Vespa velutina, is an invasive, globally-distributed predator of European honey bees and other insects. To better under its reproductive biology and to find a specific, effective, and low-impact control method for this species, we identified and tested the key compounds in V. velutina sex pheromone. Virgin gynes (reproductive females) produced this sex pheromone in the sixth intersegmental sternal glands of their abdomens. The active compounds were 4-oxo-octanoic acid (4-OOA, 10.4 μg bee−1) and 4-oxo-decanoic acid (4-ODA, 13.3 μg bee−1) at a 0.78 ratio of 4-OOA/4-ODA. We synthesized these compounds and showed that male antennae were highly sensitive to them. Moreover, males were only strongly attracted to a 4-OOA/4-ODA blend at the natural ratio produced by gynes. These results provide the first demonstration of an effective way to lure V. velutina males, and the first chemical identification of a sex pheromone in the eusocial hornets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Wen
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan Province, 650223, China.
| | - Ya-Nan Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan Province, 650223, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Shi-Hao Dong
- Eastern Bee Research Institute, Yunnan Agricultural University, 650201, Kunming, China
| | - Zheng-Wei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan Province, 650223, China
| | - Ken Tan
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan Province, 650223, China.
| | - James C Nieh
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Ecology, Behaviour, and Evolution, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
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Couto A, Mitra A, Thiéry D, Marion-Poll F, Sandoz JC. Hornets Have It: A Conserved Olfactory Subsystem for Social Recognition in Hymenoptera? Front Neuroanat 2017; 11:48. [PMID: 28659767 PMCID: PMC5469875 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2017.00048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2016] [Accepted: 05/26/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Eusocial Hymenoptera colonies are characterized by the presence of altruistic individuals, which rear their siblings instead of their own offspring. In the course of evolution, such sterile castes are thought to have emerged through the process of kin selection, altruistic traits being transmitted to following generation if they benefit relatives. By allowing kinship recognition, the detection of cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) might be instrumental for kin selection. In carpenter ants, a female-specific olfactory subsystem processes CHC information through antennal detection by basiconic sensilla. It is still unclear if other families of eusocial Hymenoptera use the same subsystem for sensing CHCs. Here, we examined the existence of such a subsystem in Vespidae (using the hornet Vespa velutina), a family in which eusociality emerged independently of ants. The antennae of both males and female hornets contain large basiconic sensilla. Sensory neurons from the large basiconic sensilla exclusively project to a conspicuous cluster of small glomeruli in the antennal lobe, with anatomical and immunoreactive features that are strikingly similar to those of the ant CHC-sensitive subsystem. Extracellular electrophysiological recordings further show that sensory neurons within hornet basiconic sensilla preferentially respond to CHCs. Although this subsystem is not female-specific in hornets, the observed similarities with the olfactory system of ants are striking. They suggest that the basiconic sensilla subsystem could be an ancestral trait, which may have played a key role in the advent of eusociality in these hymenopteran families by allowing kin recognition and the production of altruistic behaviors toward relatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoine Couto
- Evolution Genomes Behavior and Ecology, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Univ Paris-Sud, IRD, Université Paris SaclayGif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Aniruddha Mitra
- Evolution Genomes Behavior and Ecology, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Univ Paris-Sud, IRD, Université Paris SaclayGif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Denis Thiéry
- UMR 1065 Santé et Agroécologie du Vignoble, INRA, Université de Bordeaux, ISVVVillenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Frédéric Marion-Poll
- Evolution Genomes Behavior and Ecology, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Univ Paris-Sud, IRD, Université Paris SaclayGif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Jean-Christophe Sandoz
- Evolution Genomes Behavior and Ecology, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Univ Paris-Sud, IRD, Université Paris SaclayGif-sur-Yvette, France
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Cecotti R, Bergomi P, Carpana E, Tava A. Chemical Characterization of the Volatiles of Leaves and Flowers from Cultivated Malva sylvestris var. mauritiana and their Antimicrobial Activity Against the Aetiological Agents of the European and American Foulbrood of Honeybees ( Apis mellifera). Nat Prod Commun 2016. [DOI: 10.1177/1934578x1601101026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The composition of the volatile fraction of Malva sylvestris var. mauritiana (L.) Boiss. (Malvaceae) was investigated. This plant species was cultivated in the southeastern Alps as an ingredient for herbal teas and infusions. Flowers and leaves were collected at the end of the summer season and separately steam-distilled to obtain two volatile oils, the yields of which were 0.019% for leaves and 0.012% for flowers. After GC-FID and GC-MS analyses, the two oils revealed differences in the nature and especially in the proportion of their components, which were aldehydes, alcohols, phenolics, esters, hydrocarbons and acids. Eugenol was the single most abundant compound in the leaves, totalling 46.7% of the total oil, followed by phytol with 34.4%. Flowers showed a predominance of hydrocarbons, among which the anteiso branched-chain saturated hydrocarbon, 3-methyl tricosane, was the most abundant compound, accounting for 14.9% of the total volatiles. Eugenol ranked second with 10.3%, followed by the two linear-chain saturated hydrocarbons pentacosane and tricosane forming 8.2 and 7.7% of the total oil, respectively. The occurrence and the relative abundance of compounds from various chemical classes such as phenolics, hydrocarbons and aromatic aldehydes and alcohols are discussed, together with some of their ecological implications. The obtained volatile oils were than tested against two major honeybee ( Apis mellifera) pathogens, namely Paenibacillus larvae and Melissococcus plutonius, the causative agents of the American and the European foulbrood, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Cecotti
- Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l'Analisi dell'Economia Agraria – Centro di Ricerca per le Produzioni Foraggere e Lattiero Casearie, viale Piacenza 29, 26900 Lodi, Italy
| | - Patrizia Bergomi
- Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l'Analisi dell'Economia Agraria – Unità di Ricerca per l'Apicoltura e la Bachicoltura, via di Corticella 133,40128 Bologna, Italy
| | - Emanuele Carpana
- Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l'Analisi dell'Economia Agraria – Unità di Ricerca per l'Apicoltura e la Bachicoltura, via di Corticella 133,40128 Bologna, Italy
| | - Aldo Tava
- Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l'Analisi dell'Economia Agraria – Centro di Ricerca per le Produzioni Foraggere e Lattiero Casearie, viale Piacenza 29, 26900 Lodi, Italy
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Heinze J. The male has done his work - the male may go. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2016; 16:22-27. [PMID: 27720046 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2016.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2016] [Revised: 05/03/2016] [Accepted: 05/06/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Perennial social insects are famous for the extraordinary longevity of their queens. While the lifespan of termite kings matches those of queens, males of social Hymenoptera are usually considered to die after one or a few copulations. While this is true in species with highly synchronized nuptial flights, in others males mate over much longer periods. Male longevity is not correlated with the life span of queens but appears to be adapted to mating opportunities. This is demonstrated by the extreme life span of Cardiocondyla ant males, which monopolize mating with virgin queens over many months. Cardiocondyla offers the opportunity to investigate why male longevity varies even among closely related taxa and how male age affects sperm and offspring quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jürgen Heinze
- LS Zoologie/Evolutionsbiologie, Universität Regenburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany.
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11
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Couto A, Lapeyre B, Thiéry D, Sandoz JC. Olfactory pathway of the hornet Vespa velutina
: New insights into the evolution of the hymenopteran antennal lobe. J Comp Neurol 2016; 524:2335-59. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.23975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2015] [Revised: 01/20/2016] [Accepted: 01/29/2016] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Antoine Couto
- Laboratory Evolution Genome Behavior and Ecology, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, IRD, Université Paris Saclay; F-91198 Gif-sur-Yvette France
| | - Benoit Lapeyre
- Laboratory Evolution Genome Behavior and Ecology, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, IRD, Université Paris Saclay; F-91198 Gif-sur-Yvette France
| | - Denis Thiéry
- UMR 1065 Santé et Agroécologie du Vignoble, INRA; F-33883 Villenave d'Ornon France
- Université de Bordeaux, ISVV, UMR 1065 Santé et Agroécologie du Vignoble, Bordeaux Sciences Agro; F-33883 Villenave d'Ornon France
| | - Jean-Christophe Sandoz
- Laboratory Evolution Genome Behavior and Ecology, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, IRD, Université Paris Saclay; F-91198 Gif-sur-Yvette France
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Screening of Repellents against Vespid Wasps. INSECTS 2014; 5:272-86. [PMID: 26462588 PMCID: PMC4592629 DOI: 10.3390/insects5010272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2013] [Revised: 01/14/2014] [Accepted: 02/24/2014] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Vespid wasps are ecologically beneficial, but they can be a nuisance and dangerous to people due to their tendency to sting. Here, the aim was to screen samples of volatiles (i.e., essential oils and pure chemicals) for their repellency against wasps. The number of wasps (mainly Vespula vulgaris) present in a glass box with attractant and 5 µL sample was compared to the number of wasps in a similar box with attractant only. Both boxes were connected to a large glass container harboring 18–35 wasps. Among 66 tested samples, some essential oils from Lamiaceae and Asteraceae, as well as some pure natural compounds such as the monoterpenes (−)-terpinen-4-ol and isopulegol showed a significant repellency against vespids. Our results corroborate the potential of (mixtures of) volatiles in repelling these insects.
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Guevara-Fiore P, Stapley J, Krause J, Ramnarine I, Watt P. Male mate-searching strategies and female cues: how do male guppies find receptive females? Anim Behav 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2010.02.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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14
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