Open Access

ARTICLE

Comparative study of mandibular glands of Melipona bicolor queens obtained from polygynic and monogynic colonies

LUCIANA FIORETTI GRACIOLI-VITTI, FÁBIO CAMARGO ABDALLA, REGINA LÚCIA MORELLI SILVA DE MORAES

Departamento de Biologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Rio Claro, SP, Brasil.
Address correspondence to: Dr. Luciana Fioretti Gracioli-Vitti. Departamento de Biologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Avenida 24A, nº 1515, CEP 13506900, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, SP, BRAZIL. E-mail: lucifg@ms.rc.unesp.br

BIOCELL 2005, 29(1), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.32604/biocell.2005.29.001

Abstract

The aim of the present study was analyze, by histological and morphometrical studies, mandibular glands of Melipona bicolor queens collected from monogynic and polygynic colonies and compare their level of development. The results showed that the glands of physogastric queens from monogynic colony present a higher level of activity in relation to the queens of polygynic colonies; this is explained by the fact that just a unique queen controls the monogynic colony. In the polygynic colonies, the queens may divide such control to each other.

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