Cuticular hydrocarbons in the stingless bee Schwarziana quadripunctata (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponini): differences between colonies, castes and age.
Genet Mol Res
; 8(2): 589-95, 2009 May 26.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-19551647
Chemical communication is of fundamental importance to maintain the integration of insect colonies. In honey bees, cuticular lipids differ in their composition between queens, workers and drones. Little is known, however, about cuticular hydrocarbons in stingless bees. We investigated chemical differences in cuticular hydrocarbons between different colonies, castes and individuals of different ages in Schwarziana quadripunctata. The epicuticle of the bees was extracted using the non-polar solvent hexane, and was analyzed by means of a gas chromatograph coupled with a mass spectrometer. The identified compounds were alkanes, branched-alkanes and alkenes with chains of 19 to 33 carbon atoms. Discriminant analyses showed clear differences between all the groups analyzed. There were significant differences between bees from different colonies, workers of different age and between workers and virgin queens.
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Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Abelhas
/
Hidrocarbonetos
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Genet Mol Res
Assunto da revista:
BIOLOGIA MOLECULAR
/
GENETICA
Ano de publicação:
2009
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Brasil
País de publicação:
Brasil