Ren Chang-Shi, Chang Zhi-Min, Zu Zhi-Yun, Han Lei, Chen Xiang-Sheng, Long Jian-Kun
Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction in the Plateau Mountainous Region, Ministry of Education/Guizhou Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction/College of Animal Science, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China.
Institute of Entomology/Special Key Laboratory for Developing and Utilizing of Insect Resources, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China.
Insects. 2023 Feb 26;14(3):232. doi: 10.3390/insects14030232.
Bumblebees, as pollinators, play an important role in maintaining natural and agricultural ecosystems. Antennae with sensilla of bumblebees as social insects have essential effects in foraging, nest searching, courting, and mating, and are different in species and sexes. Previous studies on the morphology of antennae and sensilla in bumblebees have been limited to a few species and a single caste. To better understand how bumblebees detect and receive the chemical signal from nectariferous plants and foraging behavior, the morphology of antennae with sensilla, including the antennal length, and type, distribution, and number of antennal sensilla in four species, , , , and was compared by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) herein. The total antennal length of queens are the longest and workers are the shortest in three castes, and in four species the longest of the total antennal length among three castes all are in , which is significantly longer than other species ( < 0.05) and the length of the scape in queens and workers are both longer than males, significantly different in queens ( < 0.05), and not significantly different in workers ( 0.05), and the length of flagellums in females are not always shorter than males, of which the length of flagellms in queens of are significantly longer than males ( < 0.05), and the length of pedicel and all flagellomeres varies among species and castes. A total of 13 major types of sensilla in total were observed, including trichodea sensilla (TS A-E), placodea sensilla (PS A-B), basiconica sensilla (BaS), coeloconica sensilla (COS A-B), chaetic sensilla (CS A-B), and Böhm sensilla (BS), of which chaetic sensilla B (CS B), only observed in females of , was firstly reported in Apidae. Moreover, the number of all sensilla was the most in males, the least was in workers, the number of sensilla varies within castes and species. Furthermore, the morphological characteristics of antennae and the potential functions of sensilla are discussed.
作为传粉者，大黄蜂在维持自然和农业生态系统方面发挥着重要作用。大黄蜂作为社会性昆虫，其带有感器的触角在觅食、寻巢、求偶和交配中具有重要作用，且在物种和性别上存在差异。以往对大黄蜂触角和感器形态的研究仅限于少数物种和单一蜂型。为了更好地了解大黄蜂如何检测和接收来自蜜源植物的化学信号以及觅食行为，本文通过扫描电子显微镜（SEM）比较了四种大黄蜂（ 、 、 、 ）带有感器的触角形态，包括触角长度以及触角感器的类型、分布和数量。在三个蜂型中，蜂王的触角总长度最长，工蜂最短，在四个物种中，三个蜂型中触角总长度最长的均为 ，显著长于其他物种（ < 0.05），蜂王和工蜂的柄节长度均长于雄蜂，蜂王中差异显著（ < 0.05），工蜂中差异不显著（ 0.05），雌性鞭节长度并不总是短于雄性，其中 蜂王的鞭节长度显著长于雄性（ < 0.05），梗节和所有鞭节的长度在物种和蜂型之间存在差异。总共观察到13种主要类型的感器，包括毛形感器（TS A - E）、板形感器（PS A - B）、锥形感器（BaS）、腔锥形感器（COS A - B）、刺形感器（CS A - B）和博氏感器（BS），其中仅在 的雌性中观察到的刺形感器B（CS B），是在蜜蜂科中首次报道。此外，所有感器的数量在雄性中最多，在工蜂中最少，感器数量在蜂型和物种内有所不同。此外，还讨论了触角的形态特征和感器的潜在功能。
