Morphology and structure of the tarsal glands of the stingless bee Melipona seminigra

被引:25
作者
Jarau, S
Hrncir, M
Zucchi, R
Barth, FG
机构
[1] Univ Ulm, Dept Expt Ecol, D-89069 Ulm, Germany
[2] Univ Vienna, Bioctr, Inst Zool, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Biol, FFCLRP, BR-14040901 Ribeirao Preto, SP, Brazil
基金
奥地利科学基金会;
关键词
D O I
10.1007/s00114-004-0601-1
中图分类号
O [数理科学和化学]; P [天文学、地球科学]; Q [生物科学]; N [自然科学总论];
学科分类号
07 ; 0710 ; 09 ;
摘要
Footprint secretions deposited at the nest entrance or on food sources are used for chemical communication by honey bees, bumble bees, and stingless bees. The question of the glandular origin of the substances involved, however, has not been unequivocally answered yet. We investigated the morphology and structure of tarsal glands within the fifth tarsomeres of the legs of workers of Melipona seminigra in order to clarify their possible role in the secretion of footprints. The tarsal gland is a sac-like fold forming a reservoir. Its glandular tissue is composed of a unicellular layer of specialized epidermal cells, which cover the thin cuticular intima forming the reservoir. We found that the tarsal glands lack any openings to the outside and therefore conclude that they are not involved in the secretion of footprint substances. The secretion produced accumulates within the gland's reservoir and reaches as far as into the arolium. Thus it is likely that it serves to fill and unfold the arolium during walking to increase adhesion on smooth surfaces, as is known for honey bees and weaver ants.
引用
收藏
页码:147 / 150
页数:4
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