USDA-ARS, Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics and Physiology Laboratory, Baton Rouge, LA 70820, USA.
Bee Protection Laboratory, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, 50200, Thailand; Graduate School, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand.
J Invertebr Pathol. 2018 Mar;153:35-37. doi: 10.1016/j.jip.2018.02.010. Epub 2018 Feb 13.
Successful reproduction by unmated Tropilaelaps mercedesae is reported here for the first time. Of the eight mature daughters that did not have male mates within their natal cells, four produced both mature sons and daughters, and four produced mature daughters only. Overall, 78% of the new daughters that had no egg-laying experience, and 84% of the foundresses that had or had not laid previously reproduced. Both inoculum daughter and foundress mites were collected from tan-bodied pupae and inoculated immediately. Therefore, our results suggest that phoresy is not required for reproduction in tropilaelaps mites. The ability of virgin females to lay both males and females (deuterotoky), and to reproduce without spending a phoretic period on adult bees may play major roles in tropilaelaps mites' competitive advantage over varroa mites in Apis mellifera colonies.
首次报道了未交配的 Tropilaelaps mercedesae 通过孤雌生殖成功繁殖。在未与雄性交配的 8 个成熟女儿中，有 4 个既产生了成熟的雄性和雌性，也产生了成熟的雌性。总的来说，78%的新女儿没有产卵经验，而之前有或没有产卵经历的创立者有 84%进行了繁殖。接种的幼螨和创立者螨都是从棕褐色的蛹中收集并立即接种的。因此，我们的结果表明 Tropilaelaps 螨不需要经历拟寄生阶段就可以繁殖。处女雌螨既能产卵产生雄性和雌性（次生孤雌生殖），又能在不花费拟寄生阶段在成年蜜蜂上的情况下繁殖，这可能在 Tropilaelaps 螨相对于 Apis mellifera 群体中的瓦螨的竞争优势中发挥了重要作用。
