Variability in Sexual Pheromones Questions their Role in Bumblebee Pre-Mating Recognition System.

Sex-specific chemical secretions have been widely used as diagnostic characters in chemotaxonomy. The taxonomically confused group of bumblebees has reaped the benefit of this approach through the analyses of cephalic labial gland secretions (CLGS). Most of currently available CLGS descriptions concern species from the West-Palearctic region but few from the New World. Here, the CLGS of four East-Palearctic species Bombus deuteronymus, B. filchnerae, B. humilis, and B. exil (subgenus Thoracobombus) are analysed. Our results show high levels of variability in the major compounds in B. exil. In contrast, we describe a low differentiation in CLGS compounds between B. filchnerae and its phylogenetically closely related taxon B. muscorum. Moreover, the chemical profiles of B. filchnerae and B. muscorum are characterized by low concentrations of the C16 component, which is found in higher concentrations in the other Thoracobombus species. This raises the possibility that courtship behavior as well as environmental constraints could affect the role of the bumblebee males' CLGS.

Morphological adaptations to silk production by adult females in the pollen wasp genus Quartinia (Masarinae, Vespidae) - a keystone character for ground nesting in dry sand habitats.

While many pollen wasps nest in hard clayey soil or in rigid sand or use these kinds of substrates to build aerial earthen cells, all representatives of the genus Quartinia, in which nesting behavior has been studied so far, construct their nests in habitats with loose sand. The walls of the burrow are stabilized by a silky excretion that is applied on their inner surfaces during nest construction. The lining-behavior of Quartinia females is described. Representatives of the genus Quartinia and other pollen wasp taxa have been studied comparatively using histology, microcomputed tomography and scanning electron microscopy for identifying the structures correlated with lining-behavior. Thus, we can document a change in the morphology of the maxillary gland for females of the genus Quartinia, as well as the existence of a process of the galea which likely serves the production of the silky threads. The fact that these modifications are missing in males is corroborating their function in brood care. Two possible ways of silk thread production are discussed. The newly discovered structures are key adaptations of the genus Quartinia that enabled the inhabitation of new habitats and thus probably facilitated the species diversification of this genus.

Estudio morfológico e histoquímico de las glándulas cefálicas de Bothrops alternatus (Ophidia, Viperidae) / Morphological and histochemical study of the cephalic glands of bothrops alternatus (Ophidia, Viperidae)

El objetivo del presente trabajo fue estudiar la histología de las glándulas cefálicas de la víbora de la cruz (Bothrops alternatus), identificar los tipos celulares y caracterizar histoquimicamente el producto de secreción. Con esta finalidad fueron usados ejemplares machos adultos de B. alternatus. Después del sacrificio, las glándulas cefálicas fueron fijadas en formol neutro al 10 por ciento e incluidas en parafina. Los cortes, de 6 µm de espesor, fueron teñidos con hematoxilina y eosina, tricrómico de Masson y con técnicas histoquímicas para identificación de mucopolisacáridos y proteínas. Los resultados histológicos demostraron que las glándulas linguales, de veneno y accesorias son de tipo tubular, las glándulas labiales y premaxilar son tubuloacinares y la glándula de Harder es tubuloacinar compuesta. Las células mucosas de los adenómeros y conductos secretores de las glándulas linguales, labiales y premaxilar, así como las células de los conductos de la glándula de Harder, secretan sulfosialomucinas y mucopolisacáridos neutros. Las células mucoserosas de las glándulas linguales, labiales y premaxilar sintetizan mucopolisacáridos neutros, ácido siálico y radicales tirosina, cistina, cisteína, arginina y triptófano. Las células seromucosas de las glándulas de veneno, accesorias y de Harder producen polisacáridos neutros y radicales cistina, cisteína y triptófano, mientras que la glándula de Harder también sintetiza tirosina.

The aim of this paper was to studythe histology of the cephalic glands of the snake Bothropsalternatus, identifying the cell types and characterize histochemically the secretion product. For this purpose we used male adult specimens of B. alternatus. After slaughter, the cephalic gland was fixed in 10 percent neutral formalin and embedded in paraffin-wax. Histological sections, 6 µm thick, were stained with hematoxylin and eosin, Masson trichrome and histochemical techniques to identify mucosubstances and proteins. Histologically they were identified tubuloacinar composed glands (Harderian gland), tubuloacinar glands (upper and lower lip and premaxillary glands) and tubular (supralingual, sublingual, venom, and accessory glands). The mucous cells of the acini of the upper and lower lip glands and of the premaxillary gland, the secretory ducts of these glands and ducts of the Harderian gland secrete sulfosialomucins and neutral mucosubstances. Mucoserous cells of upper and lower lip glands and premaxillary gland secrete neutral mucosubstances, sialic acid and protein radicals tyrosine, cystine, cysteine, arginine and tryptophane. Seromucous cells of venom, accessories and Harderian glands secrete neutral mucosubstances and protein radicals cystine, cysteine and tryptophan, whereas the seromucous cells of the Harderian gland also secrete the tyrosine radical.