Gelin Luiz F F, Cruz Jucelho D da, Noll Fernando B, Giannotti Edilberto, Santos Gilberto M de M, Bichara-Filho Carlos C
Lab. Vespas Sociais, Depto. Zoologia e Botânica, Univ. Estadual Paulista " Júlio de Mesquita Filho" , Instituto de Biociências, Jardim Nazareth 15054-000, São José do Rio Preto, SP.
Neotrop Entomol. 2008 Nov-Dec;37(6):691-701. doi: 10.1590/s1519-566x2008000600011.
Neotropical swarm-founding wasps present polygynic colonies and a great variation in relation to caste differentiation, ranging from species in which queens and workers are similar in shape and size to those where variation in shape and size is conspicuous. Canonical discriminant analysis and Bonferroni t-test analysis on morphometric data collected from eight body parts of specimens from nine colonies of Angiopolybia pallens (Lepeletier) were undertaken as a step towards to a better understanding on caste differenciation in Epiponini. All specimens were dissected to verify the ovary developmental stage, and the spermatheca was removed to check for the mating status. Females were then grouped as queens (mated with developed ovaries), intermediates (virgin with developed ovaries) and workers (virgin with undeveloped ovaries). Even though differences were found for some measurements in seven out of the nine colonies evaluated, multivariate analysis (Wilks' lambda values) indicated castes could not be reliably distinguished only by morphology. We conclude that morphological differences among A. pallens castes are low or absent, reflecting a possible groundplan for the Epiponini, i.e. a post-imaginal pattern of caste differentiation.
新热带地区的群居性黄蜂呈现出多雌群体，且在种型分化方面存在很大差异，从蜂王和工蜂在形状和大小上相似的物种到形状和大小差异明显的物种都有。对从9个苍白角腹胡蜂（Lepeletier）群体的标本8个身体部位收集的形态测量数据进行典型判别分析和邦费罗尼t检验分析，是朝着更好地理解胡蜂族种型分化迈出的一步。所有标本均进行解剖以核实卵巢发育阶段，并取出受精囊以检查交配状态。然后将雌性分为蜂王（卵巢发育且已交配）、中间型（卵巢发育但未交配）和工蜂（卵巢未发育且未交配）。尽管在评估的9个群体中的7个群体的某些测量中发现了差异，但多变量分析（威尔克斯lambda值）表明，仅靠形态无法可靠地区分种型。我们得出结论，苍白角腹胡蜂种型之间的形态差异很小或不存在，这反映了胡蜂族可能的基本模式，即成虫后种型分化模式。
